Harry Potter and The Love That Never Was
by Ravenpuffer
Summary: Highly intelligent and quietly observant, Harry Potter has spent the majority of his life in the shadow of his younger brother, Oliver. When Oliver came to Hogwarts, things started happening and Harry is beginning to wonder if his life is about to change drastically. OCs and OOCs, AU, Wrong Bwl, James and Lily are alive.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This fic is inspired by Harry and the Veela by Z-bond and Harry Potter, Rise from Dust by Bluezz-17. The pairing will be revealed slowly, then I'll include it in the summary. Feel free to skim this chapter, I'm sure you've heard most of it before. **

Disclaimer: Anything recognisable isn't mine, though I do own a few original characters like Atlas, Morgana and Lucille.

_**HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived **_

It was a seemingly quiet night in October, the 31st to be exact. A few children were running around in costumes begging for sweets but otherwise, the road on which Godric's Hollow was located lay perfectly still, peaceful even. Not many were aware of the cottage's existence, if they did they thought it had been deserted years ago. There was a reason for this. James Potter, his wife Lily and their two small children were in hiding. Now, this family wasn't your average family, they were magical. They were hiding not from a normal criminal but a dark lord who could bring death and suffering by uttering two words.

James and Lily Potter had been fighting the dark lord ever since they had left the haven of school, they were prominent figures amongst the light. They had defied the dark lord on many occasions but this was not the reason they were hiding. There was a prophecy known by few and feared by those that did. The Potter's sons, Harry and Oliver, along with the son of two other infamous enemies of the dark lord, could be the subject of the prophecy that stated that a child born at the end of July would vanquish the terror of the dark lord. With Harry and Oliver both being born at the end of July, Lily and James were naturally worried for their darling boys' wellbeing.

James had just returned from a successful raid on a death eater's residence and was cuddled up to Lily on the sofa. Suddenly James felt the wards of the house being breached, he jumped up, surprising Lily, and drew his wand, "It's him," he whispered, his face ashen. He gave his wife a hug and told her to get the boys to safety. When a distraught Lily had dashed up the stairs, James stood, determined, at the foot of them, wand drawn, ready to fight.

The door crashed open, revealing a hooded figure. The hooded figure was Voldemort, the dark lord whom everyone feared. He laughed at James' attempt, "Foolish boy, as endearing as I find your pitiful attempt, you will die tonight. First I must find that wretched son of yours, _Petrificus Totalus!_" James' body stiffened as he fell to the ground.

Lily Potter had been horrified to discover that there was no floo powder left in her babies' bedroom, she glanced at her sleeping boys and sighed, she'd have to fight him off. Just then the door burst open and she found herself face to face with Voldemort, "Ah, as stupid as your husband eh? I'll deal with you later, the quicker that boy is dealt with the better!" Voldemort's _Stupefy_ easily devoured Lily's _Protego_, the woman fell to the ground, leaving her children to their fate.

Voldemort turned to the two cribs presented in front of him, one was labelled _Harry James_ and the other _Oliver Sirius_. A small black haired boy, no older than 3, hauled a younger boy over the barrier that separated their beds, as if to say, "Nobody hurts my little brother!" the smaller boy had a mop of dark auburn hair that stuck up in all directions. The powerful wizard made his choice, extended his wand and paused to stare into the pools of green that seemed so unafraid of death, he had to admit, the boy's determination was admirable. After shaking of the single drop of sentimentality that had wormed its way into his mind, Voldemort cried, "_Avada Kedavra_!" a bright green light filled the room, it began to shake from the sheer power of the spell. Harry held his palms out, as if this could save him from the force of the magic. Voldemort suddenly felt intense pain, like his body was being shredded into a million pieces. There was a loud thud and he disappeared from the room. Chunks of wood that held the roof up fell down, showering the boys, one, still full of magic from the spell, left a gash on Oliver's cheek in the shape of a 'V'. Harry collapsed from magic exhaustion, a blanket falling over the small lightning scar on his right hand.

Sirius Black was on the way to visit the Potters, James had been his friend since they started Hogwarts, the school for young witches and wizards living in Britain. He stopped in his tracks when he reached the gate. Or what had been the gate. There was wood and glass strewn over the small garden, the door was non-existent and Sirius thought he could smell smoke. He found James lying petrified on the floor, he stepped over his best friend and rushed up the stairs. Lily, wonderful Lily, was lying motionless on the floor of the nursery. Sirius bit back the tears as he made his way to where the boys should be. He picked up Oliver first, as he was bawling rather loudly and examined him. His mouth fell open in shock as he saw the blood trickling down his godson's cheek, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch of floo powder, deciding to fire-call Albus Dumbledore.

Harry was still asleep when the elderly wizard arrived. Albus revived the Potter couple and marvelled over the fact that Oliver's scar was full of magic. He examined the older boy and found that his magic reserves were very low. He came to the logical conclusion that Oliver, a baby, had killed a very powerful dark wizard. That night, Oliver Sirius Potter became the boy who lived.

**A/N Thanks for reading! The reason that Sirius is Oliver's godfather not Harry's will become apparent soon enough. Sorry if this chapter seems rushed, it's more of a quick introduction to Harry's situation than a proper chapter. I think each chapter will be 3,000+ words.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N enjoy this! By the way, this isn't a fic where James and Lily just suddenly realize what they've done.**

_**HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 2: The Boy Who Was Forgotten**_

**25****th**** July 1991**

Harry Potter was awoken by rays of sunshine streaming through the sole window of the east wing attic. He had retreated to this room, far away from his family, after he was removed from his old bedroom. He had had a nicely sized room with a window that faced the garden, giving him a spectacular view of the extensive Potter estate. His parents had decided that his younger brother needed it more, telling him to find a room that matched his status. As a 5 year old he had run far away from them and settled into the attic he found himself waking in. He climbed out of the small single-bed, put on black jeans, a white shirt, navy blue tie and black waistcoat, locked the door and padded down the stairs to the small bathroom that he was permitted to use. He stared at himself in the mirror, thanked merlin that he didn't need those hideous glasses that his father and brother wore and reached for some hair gel. He had realised some time ago that his hair wouldn't stay still naturally, so he had gotten into the habit of combing it then slightly spiking it up. Somebody, Harry had no recollection of who, had said it looked good. He tiptoed downstairs to make breakfast, it wouldn't do to wake his dear brother. His mother had never approved of house elves, always making breakfast for the family herself. Harry hadn't been part of that family since October 1981.

He hummed as the bacon sizzled in the hot oil, tapping his finger to wandlessly flip them. He enjoyed cooking, even when he did it the muggle way. He groaned slightly as he heard his mother's soft footsteps approaching, turning off the gas, he disappeared into a secret hallway next to the kitchen to eat his meal in peace.

"Open it! Open it! Open it!" Harry sighed as his childish 'uncle' chanted, willing Oliver to open a letter sealed with the Hogwarts crest.

"Oh, leave it Sirius! Open it in your own time Prongslet," Harry cringed at the nickname, remembering that he had once been called it.

"Dear Mr Potter, I am delighted to inform you that…" Harry cast an invisibility charm on himself as he slipped back into the kitchen to wash his plate the old fashioned way. In the kitchen, huddled round the table sat James, Sirius and Oliver, all fussing over the letter. Harry rolled his eyes as his father proclaimed that they would go on a trip to Diagon Alley to celebrate. Harry turned to leave, he knew he wasn't invited.

**27****th**** July 1988**

_Young Harry ran excitedly to the kitchen to tell his parents about his letter, he had a letter! He stopped in his tracks when he heard the commotion coming from his destination. His brother had just received a brand new broom, a Nimbus 1900, the latest model in the legendary broom making company's racing line. Harry longed to have a broom just like his brother's but his father had told him that Quidditch was Oliver's sport and that he was useless at it anyway. Sirius, wearing his auror's Specialus Sensous amulet, realised that Harry was there and pulled him out of the corridor, "Found this loitering outside," Harry had looked at his father's friend with a hurt expression on his face. Oliver snatched the letter from Harry, tore it open, and began to read, "THAT'S NOT FAIR! How come he gets to go to Hogwarts? He's not special!" Oliver's eyes watered and he was soon sobbing uncontrollably. James turned to his older son, "Now look what you've done! Hurting your brother like that is very mean," he grabbed the boy's t-shirt and forced him up the stairs, "Colloportus," he muttered through gritted teeth, locking his son in his room__**.**_

**1****st**** September 1991**

Platform 9 ¾ was almost unbearably busy as usual. It was made even more crowded because of Oliver's presence. The press were there, taking endless photographs and asking seemingly endless questions. James and Lily posed with their younger son while Harry wandered off to find his friends.

"Potter!" a voice called behind him.

"Malfoy! Lady Malfoy, Lord Malfoy," Harry bowed politely as he addressed his friend's parents.

"Now, now Harry what did I say about you calling Lucius and I by our first names" Narcissa Malfoy was a tall woman with platinum blond hair, grey eyes and a kind smile.

"Sorry La-Narcissa," Harry ducked his head sheepishly

"Don't worry dear! Now remember, it's Drakey's first year," a small boy with hair smoothed back ridiculously with hair gel stepped out from behind his mother, scowling at the nickname, "and I expect you two to look after him, ok?" Atlas nodded, ruffling his younger brother's hair. Harry had known the Malfoys since he had met them in Diagon Alley on his 10th birthday. Atlas, with his dirty blond curls and Draco with his blue-grey eyes were like the brothers he never had.

"Harry! My boy, how much you've grown!" Harry found himself being greeted by yet another family, the Greengrass clan. He turned to hug Lady Greengrass, who, like Narcissa, insisted that he called her Maria. Lady Greengrass had chocolate brown hair and startling green eyes, her daughters both took after her in the looks department He smiled a genuine smile as he was drawn into a hug by Daphne, one of his closest friends. His smile grew into a slight frown when he remembered that his own family had forgotten about him completely. Daphne noticed this and squeezed his hand in a bid to comfort him.

Atlas flung his arm around Harry's shoulder and began to make his way to the familiar scarlet loco-motor. Draco quickly found Theodore Knott, the only one of his father's friends' children he could stand, Crabbe and Goyle were simply too moronic. They settled into their usual compartment and were joined by Morgana Zabini and Lucille Archer. Morgana Zabini usually had spiky magenta hair and warm brown eyes, she was a metamorphagus. Lucille had fiery red hair and eyes as blue as the sky. They were an odd bunch, the Ravenclaws, the Slytherin, the Gryffindor and the Hufflepuff all sitting together and laughing. Lucy chattered happily, Morgana and Atlas played chess, Daphne made sarcastic remarks about Lucy's chattering and Harry was just happy that he was surrounded by people who cared about him.

There was knocking on the compartment door, Harry tapped his wand and two young boys tumbled in. Oliver hastily dusted himself off, trying to look dignified. Ronald Weasley attempted to do this as well, he wasn't very successful in his endeavour. Harry stood up from his seat, "Did you want something?"

"You are sitting in my compartment," Oliver stated, as if it was obvious

"Really? As far as I'm aware, there are no reserved compartments," Daphne replied

"You should know better than to defy me, I am the boy-who-lived!" Oliver lifted his chin up a fraction,

"Brat-who-lived more like," Atlas muttered, he was, unfortunately, heard by Oliver who turned bright red. He raised his wand to hex the blond boy, Ron did the same. In a flash, Harry had advanced on Oliver, pushed him up against the compartment wall, pressed his wand against his throat and snarled, "Nobody, I repeat, nobody, hurts my friends? Got that, brat?" Oliver slowly backed away, his large form scampering from the compartment.

Harry sat down, found a spot on the horizon and stared at it for the rest of the journey. His friends shot each other worried looks, Harry had been having what they called a 'good' day. It had been one of those days where he looked more carefree and he let smiles slip out once in a while.

4 long hours later they departed the train and hauled themselves into a carriage together. It was a silent journey but they knew that talking wasn't what Harry needed at that moment. They sat at their respective tables, even the headmaster insisted that they do this for the welcoming feast. Harry lay his head on the table, ignoring the sorting hat's song, the headmaster's speech and the first half of the sorting itself.

**1****st**** September 1988**

"_Harry … Potter?"_

_Harry walked up to the hat nervously, all eyes were on him. Nobody knew that Oliver Potter had a brother, no one knew that he'd be here this year. McGonagall smiled at him in a kind but confused way, when had the Potters had a second child? He sat on the wobbly stool, closed his eyes tightly. An old voice entered his head, "Ah, what have we here? The first Potter child?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_You are powerful, yes, very powerful indeed! Where should I put you? You're a tricky one that's for sure!"_

"_Um…I don't know, isn't it your job to put me somewhere?"_

"_Yes, young one, but you are difficult to place. You are brave but you lack a Gryffindor's rashness, you are cunning but you wouldn't fit Slytherin, Hufflepuff would serve you well, you are loyal..ah I sense that you would be uncomfortable with the kindness Helga's house would show you. That leaves...Ravenclaw… mm…yes"_

"_I'd like to be somewhere that I can learn,"_

"_Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw…better be RAVENCLAW!"_

_Harry hopped off of the stool and forced the hat into McGonagall's hands, he was the first Potter in centuries to not be sorted into Gryffindor. He sat down by a boy who had been sorted a few minutes before him, "Don't worry, Harry, I'm not supposed to be here either," his blue eyes danced with mirth as he gestured to the glares he was getting from the Slytherins. Harry smiled softly, happy that he at least had one friend. _

Atlas kicked his shin under the table, his brother had been called up. The hat rested on his copper hair, the brim touching the wire frame of his glasses. His face was screwed up in what looked like anger. After 2 minutes the hat's mouth started to form a 'H', Oliver yanked the brim and the hat reluctantly called out, "Gryffindor," Oliver was met by raucous cheers, whoops and chants of, "Potter, Potter, we got Potter!" Draco Malfoy was Slytherin, as was Morgana's brother Blaise, Ron was a Gryffindor and Bethany, Lucille's sister, was a Hufflepuff. All in all it was a quiet meal, Harry received a few confused looks from Oliver, who presumably thought Harry was also in Gryffindor.

Harry answered the simple riddle that the eagle provided him, walked through the common room, ignoring the girly giggles from Cho and Marietta as he passed them and entered his room. Harry had his own room simply because he often had terrible nightmares that had frequently woken up his dorm-mates. There was a bookshelf filled with muggle and magical texts, a desk piled high with sketchbooks, mathematical theorems and various stationary supplies. He had attended a muggle school, unlike his brother, and had taken advanced maths, English and chemistry classes at the local secondary school in his last year at primary. He thought that quills were impractical and therefore took notes in biro or a fountain pen.

He also played the guitar, though none of his friends knew of this, and he considered the instrument a hobby, nothing more, after all, it wouldn't help him when the dark lord returned. He, unlike others, didn't believe that a baby could completely destroy the evil being, he simply couldn't believe that the lord didn't have plans in place to give him some degree of immortality.

The next morning, Harry woke at his usual time of 5am to jog round the lake and then get back in time for a few laps round the quidditch pitch with Atlas. He had been Ravenclaw's chaser since second year. He initially wanted to be seeker but Cho Chang was just too good at it for him to steal her title. He loved flying, he loved how the wind made his hair fly wildly behind him and how it made him feel like a bird. He donned the blue and bronze robes, they were tight to make the players streamlined. Girls on the team often giggled at him when he flew past, but Harry had no time for relationships.

He ran his hand through his hair in despair as he remembered that his father would be teaching flying this year, thankfully he no longer took the class but James would be refereeing every quidditch match. His father sat at the staff table at breakfast, talking with Dumbledore in a secretive manner, _Order business_. Harry had known about the order since he was young, his parents had no idea how loud they shouted about it during their heated post-dinner discussions. Harry smirked to himself when he remembered that Oliver, the Brat-who-Lived, had no idea about the secret organization.

His first class was DADA, he had heard that Professor Quirrel had returned from his travels to teach the subject. He, Atlas and Daphne arrived just before the lesson began, sat at the back of the classroom and observed their new teacher. Well, Harry observed, Daphne flipped through the textbook and Atlas played with a model snitch designed to only fly 1m away from the owner. Harry noticed that something was off with the Professor, firstly, since when had the Professor worn a turban? Secondly, he had a stutter, he had messed up their names when greeting them. Harry had been one of his favourite pupils before, now he could hardly pronounce his name?

**12****th**** September 1991**

"Harry, did you hear about your bro-Oliver?" Lucy nudged him awake, stuttering as she remembered that Harry didn't associate Oliver with himself, they were sat in History of Magic, which was boring as ever.

"What? Did he learn to read or something?" Harry mumbled in complete seriousness, Atlas chuckled quietly from the row behind them.

"No, he's the new Gryffindor seeker,"

"You've got to be kidding me? He couldn't fly a broom to save his life!" Harry turned to her, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Unless dear father paid to get him on the team, it figures. He's also replaced Madam Hooch, you know," Harry returned to taking notes from the textbook, there was little point listening to their ghost of a teacher.

After the class had ended, Harry went to visit Professor McGonagall to talk about how the little oaf had gotten on the team. He rapped on the door of her office and was told to enter, "Ah, Mr Potter! Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, there is. Do you mind if we sit down to discuss this?" McGonagall frowned slightly but offered her brightest pupil a seat opposite her desk.

"Now, what was it you wanted?" she asked

"I was just wondering, how exactly did Oliver get on the quidditch team?" the Professor shifted in her chair uncomfortably, "You know what I mean Professor, you've visited the Potter's house many times to watch their son play?" her expression grew worried when she heard this, his wording wasn't exactly comforting to a lady who believed that family was everything, "Mr Potter, James if you will, is the new quidditch referee and flying professor, is he not?"

"Professor Potter may be a bit biased towards Oliver, but he is the Boy-Who-Lived, he deserves it,"

"If that is your opinion Professor, then I shall respect it as best I can. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got lessons to go to.

**A/N thanks for reading! I don't know if I'll continue Just Harry, this one will definitely cover the whole of 1****st**** year.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 3: The Dog With Three Heads**_

**12 September 1991**

Harry was still thinking about how his brother had become seeker at dinner. It had taken Daphne, Atlas and Lucy 10 minutes to snap him out of his dream land and get him to eat something. Harry's head snapped up when he saw a familiar blond making his way over to the Ravenclaw table. A very smug looking Draco swaggered up to his brother, whispered something in his ear whilst grinning wickedly and sauntered off again. Harry shot Atlas a questioning look, Atlas simply clicked his fingers twice. This was the signal for 'meet in your room later', Harry answered with a tap of his wand on his thigh. This was a sign for 'bring the girls'.

Harry was sat on his bed, reading _Great Expectations _and waiting for his friends to appear. Daphne, Morgana, Lucille and Atlas appeared at around 8pm, cautiously entering their friend's sanctuary. Harry's room was devoid of anything related to his family, the spot on his side table where most would keep a photo of their parents or siblings was filled by a magical photograph of the five, sprawled under the great oak tree by the lake halfway through second year. His desk was not filled with opened letters from his beloved father or mother, it was filled with essays and books. The shelves weren't filled with trinkets he had acquired on family holidays, they were full of framed sketches of his friends. The only thing that vaguely linked Harry to his family was an old broom that Harry had had since 1st year. He had no memory of who had given it to him but he knew that it was from his house, from a time when he'd called his house his home. It was a battered old Cleansweep model, well-worn and loved. It wasn't the fastest broom in the world but Harry was no ordinary flyer.

"So, At, what did you want to tell us about?" Harry enquired after he had carefully placed the book on his side-table.

"Well, you'll never guess what Drake's gone and done," the four looked at him expectantly, "He's challenged _Oliver_ to a duel,"

"A duel?" Daphne snorted, "That's too Gryffindor for little Snaco," Morgana agreed silently, nodding.

"Exactly, he's not going to go," Atlas continued, "Or, he _wouldn't_ go. But he knows you, Harry. He's _heard_," Harry nodded as if this explained everything. Daphne knew what Atlas meant, Morgana and Lucille knew not to question it.

"We've got to stop the little idiot," Lucille piped up

"Luce, we can't just go storming in. Filch will kill us!" Morgana pointed out

"Ok, here's the plan…" Harry began after a moment's thought.

**The third floor corridor, midnight.**

Harry, flanked by his friends, walked silently down the corridor displaying a perfect example of house unity. Professor McGonagall, the teacher who regularly congratulated them on their solidarity, would not be impressed by the circumstance their friendship had landed them in. Oops.

As expected, they found the youngest Malfoy with his wand drawn against Oliver and his goon, Ron. Harry whispered, "Accio Draco, Oliver and Ronald's wands," under his breath. 3 wands flew away from their shocked owners and were soon stashed in Harry's pocket. He pulled down the hood of his cloak and glared at the boys, "Drake, Potter, Weasley," Oliver seemed slightly perturbed by Harry's formal greeting but continued staring daggers into the 1st year Slytherin's heart, "I am disappointed in you, Drake. Behaving in such a rash way, I might've mistaken you for a Gryffindor. I, promised your father something, a few years ago. I _never_ break my promises" Draco shuddered.

"S-s-sorry H-h-harry," Draco stuttered as he saw his brother appear from behind Harry.

"Its ok, little snake. Just don't act like an imbecile for the next year ok?" Atlas smiled fondly at his brother, half annoyed and half proud that his brother had stood up against Oliver. Harry placed Draco's wand in the boy's had, squeezed his shoulder and called out, "Dobby?" a soft pop sounded and a small form appeared in front of them. Harry smiled at the elf, "Dobby, can you make sure that Drake gets to his common room?" Dobby nodded, bowed, held onto Draco's robe and away they popped.

Harry turned to the two boys that were still stood there, rooted to the spot. Oliver lifted his chin up, stepped forward, "I could've sorted it out by myself, you know. I don't need my big brother stepping in every time that slimy Slytherin git decides to undermine me," he said with an air of arrogance. Harry's eyes darkened, he gripped Oliver's shoulders and clearly stated, "_Drake_ is more of a brother to me than you are, have been and will ever be,"

**31****st**** July 1987**

_Harry sighed sorrowfully as he kicked a stray rock down the cobbled road. He should be the one in Fortesque's, happily eating a scoop of honeycomb ice-cream and being treated like their son by his parents. He shrugged this thought off, they weren't really his parents anymore. He fingered the few galleons in his pocket. He'd done some small jobs around the alley, helping Ollivander stack wands, sewing school crests for Madam Malkin, preparing flobberworms for sale in the Apothecary and polishing snitches in the Qudditch supply shop. He planned on getting a few books to read in his attic whilst Oliver's party was held._

_He greeted the shop's owner quietly, disappearing into the depths of the shop. He brushed his fingers along the spines of books as he walked past. 'Musical fingers' somebody had told him in a kind voice, Harry couldn't remember for the life of him who had said it. He rounded the corner and wandered down the aisle that was dedicated to quidditch, a sport he loved. He'd only ever actually played the sport about 3 times, his mother had only deemed him old enough a few weeks before the night he was forgotten. The older Weasleys had attempted to get him to join their matches with their siblings but James wouldn't let him, saying that he'd only ruin the game. _

_At the end of the aisle sat a boy with platinum blond hair, clutching a ball. He appeared to be sulking. Harry crouched down in front of the boy. 'A genius with kids' the kind voice in his head whispered again. The boy's blue-grey eyes met his own, full of childish anger. Harry prised the ball from the boy's pale fingers, "What's up?" he asked, making the ball hover over his palm by whispering 'Leviosa' under his breath._

_The boy's mouth twitched into a smile but frowned again when he remembered why he was grumpy, "Mummy says that I'm not old enough for a snitch. She says it's dangerous, Attie says she's speaking nonnysense. What's n-o-n-n-y-s-e-n-s-e?" Harry smiled softly, clicking his fingers and turning the small ball into a brilliant golden snitch._

"_That. Was. Ruddy. Fantastic!" Harry turned to see a boy casually leaning against the bookshelf, "Honestly, without a wand and everything! How'd you do it?" his curls bounced as he chattered excitedly, his eyes seemed to smile. _

"_Practice!" Harry had read about transfiguration in a book he had found buried in the attic._

"_Well I certainly need to start practicing, don't I? I'm Malfoy, Atlas Malfoy and that's my brother Draco. I can't thank you enough, that'll keep him busy for hours," the boy grinned_

"_It's charmed not to fly more than 1m away from him,"_

"_Wicked! You'll have to make me one soon,"_

"_I'm Harry by the way, Harry Potter," to Harry's surprise, Atlas didn't seem too bothered by his name_

"_Nice to meet you Harry! Where are your parents?"_

"_Mr and Mrs Potter are currently at Fortescue's ice-cream parlour with our saviour, please present identification on arrival," Harry tiredly reeled off the official statement he had to give to anyone enquiring about his parent's location. Atlas raised an eyebrow,_

"_Come with us, Mum and Father are waiting by Gringotts for me and Drakey," he gestured for Harry to lead the way out of the shop. _

_Lady Narcissa and Lord Lucius Malfoy saw their sons walking out of the book shop, another boy in tow. Narcissa smiled, Atlas was the type of boy who could make anyone comfortable. She was introduced to the small boy, Harry Potter. She hadn't been aware of a second Potter son but smiled politely at him. Lucius smiled broadly and reached out to shake the boy's hand, to his surprise the boy recoiled sharply, hands flying to his head to protect himself. _

"_Harry?" Atlas placed a hand on the tense shoulders of Harry._

"_Harry I didn't wish to hurt you, I was merely shaking your hand," Lucius explained carefully, horrified at the thought of hurting a child. After he had been placed under the imperious curse by Voldemort and forced to kill, sent to Azkaban and tortured until they realised he was telling the truth, he had promised that he'd never hurt a soul. _

_Harry slowly removed his shaking hands from his raven head and looked up at the concerned faces of the Malfoy family. Draco stepped out from his hiding place in his mother's dress, smiled and hugged Harry's leg like his life depended on it._

He pushed Oliver away from him and glared at Ron in disgust, "As for you, Weasley, you'd better clean up your act before Bill or Charlie find out what a cretin you've been,"

Charlie had been very kind to the closed off mess Harry had been when he had arrived at Hogwarts, he and his brother had guided the boy before he established a group of friends he could trust. Harry still wrote to the pair, had visited Charlie at his reserve with Atlas in 3rd year and received Advanced Ancient Rune lessons from Bill. He was disappointed that their youngest brother had latched on to Oliver when they had first met at a press conference when Oliver was 4. The boy turned beet red, he knew that his brothers loved Harry like a brother and would kill him if they found out that he'd messed with the Ravenclaw.

Daphne gave the younger boys a glare that could set fire to ice and the two Gryffindors scampered off, leaving Harry and the other four in peace. Harry raked his long fingers through his hair, sighing. Daphne nudged him as she saw a familiar cat round the corner, _Filch_. The whole group was soon aware of the feline and they ran down the corridor until they reach a door. Harry twisted the handle, finding that it was locked, he muttered, "_Alohomora,_" and the door sprang open.

"Holy shit, Harry, holy frigging shit," Atlas whispered as his eyes met the eyes of the canine in front of them, "Harry, that's a giant dog. A giant dog with three heads. Harry, that's a giant dog with three heads that's wide awake. That's a giant dog with three heads that's wide awake and looks just a bit irritated. Harry, I'm not being vain or anything but I think we look pretty tasty to the giant dog with three heads that's wide awake and looks angry,"

"Umm… yeah. Shit. Um, Harry, ideas?" Morgana looked anxiously at her green eyed friend

"How about doing something instead on standing here like sitting ducks?" Daphne cut in

"Cerberus…" Harry muttered, "Cerberus, Cerberus…"

"Harry, dear, as much as we love your muttering, it would be nice if you had some ideas before we're killed," Atlas shouted, his dagger drawn.

**27 August 1989, Malfoy Manor**

_Harry had escaped the Potter residence for a day to visit the Malfoys. He and Atlas were stood in front of Lucius' desk, backs straight, hands clasped behind their straight backs. Lucius unlaced his hands and reached into a drawer, "Boys, now you are 12 it is my obligation to give you some very special items. Atlas Orion, you are my eldest son and Harry James," Lucius said Harry's middle name with a hint of disgust, "you are like one of my own," He lifted up two necklaces, a snake with green eyes and a snake with blue eyes. The eyes seemed to match the boys' perfectly. "These are necklaces of protection, forged by goblins. Each member of the Malfoy family receives one sometime after their 12__th__ birthday," Atlas stroked the contours of the small metal animal in fascination. _

"_Sir, I can't thank you enough for your kindness, but I really can't accept this," Harry said quietly_

"_Nonsense! Please, take it. I wish for nothing more but your safety," Lucius smiled warmly, placing the second items on the ornate desk. Two daggers with jewels in the hilts that matched the eyes of the snakes, "You will need these, the wizarding world is not the safe haven it once was. These daggers can harm a being more than a stunner ever could, I am trusting you with these," in a flash Harry had drawn the Malfoy patriarch into a hug, _

"_I'll protect them no matter what, Atlas and Drake will never come to harm, not if I can help it," he whispered into Lucius' cloak. The hug meant a lot to Lucius, it took a lot for Harry to initiate contact with others._

"Stop! No daggers!" Harry shouted, silencing the dog's howls, "Music, that's how you calm a Cerberus!" he conjured a music box and opened it, causing _For Elise _to fill the air, lulling to canine into a peaceful sleep. The four sighed gratefully at Harry and made their way to the door.

"We'll come back soon," Harry declared, "for now, I'll lock the door. _Colloportas_," Harry muttered his modification of the locking spell that meant that he was the only one who could unlock the door, even _alohomora_ didn't work.

**A/N I know my dates before Oliver's first year are a bit iffy. Just to clarify, here are some key dates:**

**-1955 James Potter is born (all parents' birthdays have been pushed back 5 years to accommodate Harry's birth**

**-1978 Harry is born**

**-1980 Oliver is born (Harry is 2)**

**-1981 Voldemort attacks (Oliver =1 and Harry =3)**

**-1987 Harry meets the Malfoys **

**-1988 Harry begins Hogwarts (Oliver = 9 and Harry = 11)**

**-1991 Oliver begins Hogwarts (Harry is 13)**

**I will go back and rectify these **

**Also, Draco actually turning up to the duel is a result of hearing endless stories about how Oliver treats Harry, who is basically part of his family. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Enjoy this chap, I'm sorry its short :)**

_**HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 4: The Trio in Trouble**_

Harry hated Halloween with a passion, it was the day that changed everything. He lay on the side of the lake, letting the rain overwhelm him, letting the fierce wind make his hair fly around wildly. His broom lay beside him, but he wasn't in the mood for flying. He just lay there on the bitterly cold, sopping wet grass. He was crying, salty droplets escaping from under closed lids, the tears merging with raindrops as they rolled down his face.

Atlas, Lucy and Morgana were waiting for Daphne on the bridge between the castle and Hogsmeade. She was at lunchtime quidditch practice, Lucille had also just returned from a friendly match between the Hufflepuff Badgers and the Hufflepuff Hedghogs, the reserve team. They knew they wouldn't see Harry, their teachers were well aware that their star pupil would not be making an appearance. Morgana was messing around with her eyes, changing from snake to owl to hawk. With her hawk eyes she could see far into the distance, she could see water droplets hitting the lake and the figure lying by the lake. The figure _lying_ by the lake! Morgana sharply inhaled, turning to Atlas, "At, Harry's by the lake,"

Atlas looked at her in a 'so what?' fashion, his eyes widened when he realised what she was insinuating, "Bloody hell! We've got to get to him!"

"Damn right we have to. Atlas, take my broom. You and Morgana fly down there and I'll join you when Daph gets here,"

"Thanks Luce," Atlas swept down to pick up the Nimbus and kissed Lucy lightly on the cheek, causing her to blush profusely. He mounted the broom, made room for Morgan and kicked off from the ground. They were soon flying very fast, the wind whipping their now wet hair.

"What was that about?" Morgana asked him, referring to the gesture towards Lucy

"Honestly, Ana, do you think this is the time to be questioning my love life?" he shouted over the roaring wind, knowing exactly what she was talking about. They landed on a patch of grass and ran over to their friend.

"Harry, Harry!" Morgana brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes, he had fallen into a semi-conscious daze.

"Mogna?" Harry mumbled

"Yeah, yes, it's me," Morgana sighed a sigh of relief and beckoned for Atlas to help her haul Harry's limp form to the shelter of the oak tree that they all loved dearly. They decided it was best if they waited for Daphne and Lucy to arrive before returning to the castle. They sat, Harry's head in Atlas' lap, for a while before they saw the forms of their friends flying towards them.

**The Hospital wing**

Harry lay in the immaculate bed, exhausted, for the thousandth time since he started Hogwarts, surrounded by 5 extremely anxious pupils. Draco and Atlas held Harry's hands and the girls sat in chairs. Harry's emerald eyes slowly opened, darting around to survey his surroundings. He calmed when he saw the faces of his friends and the familiar smile of Poppy Pomfrey. He jumped slightly when the doors of the wing burst open but composed himself when he saw who the man was. James Potter, looking distraught, his hair messy as ever. He turned to Lucy, "I was told my son was injured? Where is he?" Lucy nodded at Harry uneasily, knowing how Harry felt about James. James looked at Harry, "Oh. I thought Oliver was hurt," with that, he calmly walked out of the ward.

"Well, Harry here we are again," Poppy said in a half-stern tone, Harry was a regular of hers. 'I was a frequent visitor to the infirmary', it was what Harry called 'the voice'. He had been hearing the Voice since he was around 6 years old. He had no idea who the Voice was, he was getting closer to the answer every year but there was something there, in his brain, stopping him from discovering. He smiled weakly at the grandmotherly figure he'd come to trust.

**31****st**** October 1988**

_Harry was sat with Charlie Weasley in the library, getting help from the redhead on his Herbology homework. They were on a table with Oliver wood, an excitable 2__nd__ year with an unhealthy obsession with quidditch and Atlas who had kept his friendship with Harry alive when they had started Hogwarts._

"_So mandrakes…" Harry suddenly keeled over, crying in pain._

"_Merlin! Harry, Harry?" Charlie shot up out of his seat and crouched over his small friend, "hey, Falcon, can you hear me?" Charlie's voice was dripping with worry as he used Harry's nickname._

_Atlas, Charlie, Oliver and Nicholas Longbottom, a quiet, kind 1__st__ year with an affinity for Herbology, lifted an unconscious Harry onto a small table, much to the horror of Madam Pince and carried him off to the hospital wing. _

_Harry, it turned out had a badly broken leg. Oliver had pushed him down 3 flights of stairs because he was angry that he was going to Hogwarts. Harry had hidden the injury with a clever glamour charm Lucius had shown him to keep the press attention averted from him when he had to accompany his family somewhere public. He had been bearing the pain, however, since the accident had occurred. His parents were contacted but they were too busy with Oliver's training to come and see him. He had recovered slowly, and with the help of Madam Pomfrey, he was soon fit and healthy again._

Harry visited the hospital many times after the leg incident, usually after the summer holidays and after run-ins with Slytherins. By the end of his 3rd year, students had grown to respect the loyal, quiet, clever and handsome Ravenclaw that was constantly surrounded by his tight knit group of friends. When he entered the Great hall to join in with the feast, he was met with fond smiles from all 4 tables.

Oliver glowered at his brother as he caught the Weasley twins, Katie Bell and even Marcus Flint grinning slightly at Harry's arrival. The buzz around his own arrival had dulled, and though he still had an army of fans, he only had a few real friends. Ron Weasley was his best mate, Dean Thomas wasn't bad, Seamus Finnegan was a legend for exploding this in lessons and Neville Longbottom was just Neville. Neville just being Neville was not good, he was clumsy, chubby and couldn't fly for his life. It was a miracle that Neville had been sorted into Gryffindor, he had been more fortunate than Nicholas, his older brother, who had ended up in _Hufflepuff_ of all places. Oliver snorted at the idiocy of Nicholas and his buck teeth.

Harry noted that his favourite stuttering Professor was missing from the staff table. A man ran into the hall, "Speak of the devil," Harry murmured.

Everyone stared at Quirell as he made it halfway up the aisle and gasped, "Troll — in the dun geons — thought you ought to know." He fainted. He fainted forwards, Harry thought this odd. He also thought it odd that a troll had somehow gotten into the castle by itself.

There was an uproar of screaming, Dumbledore cast a _Sonorus _charm, "Quiet!" this stunned the entire hall into silence, "Prefects," he roared, "take your Houses back to their dormito ries immediately!"

Harry watched as the insufferable prefect Percy Weasley puffed his chest and began barking orders at his housemates, "Ok, follow me, excuse me, prefect coming through, follow me to the common room, come on!" He spotted his brother and Ron disappearing down a corridor opposite from the rest of the Gryffindors, "Idiots," he thought, slipping after them. They were heading to the toilets – the _girl's _bathroom. He heard grunting, snorting and the heavy footsteps of what could only be a troll.

What was the brat thinking? He had used a toy wand when he'd been trained before Hogwarts but that had had restrictions. He couldn't know any really useful spells. Harry shuddered slightly as he caught sight of the creature, 12 ft tall, grey skin and horrible stumpy legs like tree trunks. The smell was putrid, like a million corpses rotting in the hot sun. He tutted at his brother as he and Weasley locked the troll into the bathroom. The troll would be able to open the door with brute force almost immediately. He watched, intrigued as Oliver sprinted back to the door and fumbled with the key. Harry ran in behind them, his athletic legs making light work of it. His face fell as he saw the troll advance on a small girl. Oliver obviously thought he could distract the troll and hurled a sink at the towering creature. The troll viciously swung his club at him.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the room. Harry sighed at this, leave it to Ron to make a bigger mess of the situation. He decided to take matters into his own hands, "_Sectumsempra!_" he shouted, surprising the trio. He slashed at the troll, causing its blood to spray everywhere. Eventually the troll fell to the ground with a loud thud!

Luckily for Harry, it was Professor Snape that had arrived on scene first. Harry nodded at the three trembling Gryffindors and Snape removed Harry from their memories of the event. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come into the room, closely followed by Flitwick. Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Oliver. In all his years of knowing her as 'Auntie Minnie', Oliver had never seen her so furious. Harry stepped into the shadows, deciding to pay Snape a visit later.

**Professor Snape's office, later that evening**

"Come in Harry, come in," Snape welcomed Harry into his office in a warm way that would completely freak out over. Harry stood behind his usual workstation and began crushing scarab beetles for a batch of Skele-Gro for Madam Pomfrey. Harry and Severus had been making potions for Pomfrey together for almost 2 years now, they were a brilliant team.

"Severus, how's your arm," Harry asked with genuine concern over his friend and mentor's wellbeing.

"Its fine," Severus replied, wincing in pain,"

"Honestly, Sev, I know when you're lying. Let me see," Harry carefully rolled up Severus' sleeve, under the black cloth lay a faint grey mark. The Dark Mark. Harry pulled a face, "Sev, you've got to get rid of this,"

"I've told you, there's no way," Severus sighed, smiling sadly at the young boy he'd grown to care for. It was a shame that idiot James Potter couldn't see just how marvelous his oldest son was.

"There's always a way," Harry squeezed Snape's shoulder and walked out of the dungeon, leaving a bowl full of perfectly crushed beetles. He smiled when he remembered the moment on the train to Hogwarts, when he was just 11 years old, when the Voice had said to him, "Severus Snape, a friend of Lily's. Become his friend if you ever get to meet him, he deserves at least one person that cares,"

**A/N Thanks for reading, remember to follow, fave and review! In this fic, Sev isn't as ugly as Rowling describes him as. I've got the plot sorted for the rest of year 1 and year 2 and I'm currently 3 chapters ahead. I'm also pretty sure about pairings, I'll reveal them over the course of the second half of 1st year, 2nd year and 3rd year. I'll give 394 galleons to anybody who can guess who Harry's Voice is :) **

**Vampire out! (TimelordingVampire was my old screename for pretty much everything, and that's how I'd end all my blog posts from back in the day)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N enjoy this! Sorry for not updating, had a lot of school work and this took the back seat.**

**_HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 5: The boy who belonged_**

**December 1991**

Christmas was coming, its icy fingers clutching Hogwarts in a choking grasp. One morning in December, Harry woke to find his precious lake completely frozen over and the grounds of the school itself covered in several feet of snow. Everyone was looking forward for the holidays, everyone but Harry. He never went home for Christmas, no matter how many times his friends told him he could stay at theirs. The corridors of the castle grew bitterly cold, wind howled in the owlery and frost formed on the many windows. The dungeons were the worst, they were usually a bit chilly but in winter, oh in winter, they were freezing!

Oliver had been extra obnoxious since his victory in the Gryffindor-Slytherin match sometime in November. Harry hadn't been watching, he was busy wondering why Dumbledore was keeping a Cerberus inside the school. He was sat in the common room, reading an advanced Charms book when Professor Flitwick approached him. The small man was quite fond of the boy and grinned at his choice of literature, "Mr. Potter, can you consider returning home for the holidays this year? I'm sure your parents miss you very much,"

"Thank you Professor, but I'll be staying here at Hogwarts again," Harry smiled and returned to his book. The Professor sighed, having known the boy's answer all along.

Harry especially didn't want to be at the manor this year, Ron would be there. Mr and Mrs Weasley were going to visit Charlie in Romania, leaving their sons with the Potters. Harry liked Fred and George, he often found himself laughing at their jokes. No, it was Ron and Percy he couldn't stand. Ron was disgusting, Percy was a stuck up bigot.

Speaking of Ron, Harry was on his way to a meeting with Snape when he saw the redhead dive onto Draco. Harry grabbed the boy's robe and hauled him up, turning to Draco, "What did you say to him?" he asked

"N-nothing," Draco stuttered

"Really, come on Drake,"

"Okay, I said that Hagrids hut was like a palace compared to his house,"

"Number 1: We may hate him but leave his family out of this. Number 2: Hagrid's hut is his home, Hagrid is my friend," Draco nodded and stalked away to find Theodore. Ron gulped and jumped behind the Christmas tree that Hagrid was carrying.

"I hate them," said Harry, "Weasley and Potter," Harry stated as he shut Snape's door behind him.

"What was that all about?"

"Oh, nothing. So, blood replenishing potion?"

Severus Snape found himself grinning at the antics of his childhood nemesis' eldest son.

0o0o0

Harry and the gang sat at their usual table, writing various essays. Daphne looked over at the table opposite them, where the 'Golden Trio' were sat.

"What're they up to?"

"Seems as though Hagrid let something slip," Harry replied, as if this was the only answer needed. Oliver had never picked up a book willingly, so it must've been something important.

0o0o0

Harry really hated goodbyes. They were too final.

Atlas gave him a 'manly hug' and Draco simply smiled at him. Ana grinned at him, telling him to remember to eat over the holidays. Daphne smirked at him, her way of saying, "Don't do anything I'd do,"

"Look after yourself, ok?" Lucy hugged him as the five left for the station, leaving Harry behind, "You can still come with us, you know that?" Harry nodded, spun on his heels and returned to the castle. He had the common room to himself and he had his own room anyway. Harry played Wizards chess against a few others that had stayed, but that ended as soon as they realized that he was never going to let them win.

On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed, thinking about what Oliver was doing. Being pampered by their parents? Probably. He didn't expect many presents, a few from his friends, nothing more. He woke early the next morning, as usual, noting the pile of packages at the end of his bed.

"Merry Christmas," Harry whispered sleepily to Hedwig, his owl. The bird nuzzled against him as if to say, "You too," Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in navy blue paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Atlas. Inside was a small broomstick –about the size of a pencil- that began whizzing round Harry's head, making him grin slightly. Inside the package was a note, 'That model snitch changed my life forever, as silly as that sounds, this is just a little something (it took me 5 months to learn how to make this, appreciate it, I don't know why I wrote that, you can't seem to stop saying thanks to my family and I) to show how much I care. –Attie'

A second, very small package contained a note.

_20 seconds after you open this parcel, you will be portkeyed to a very special gathering, hold on tight! – Daph, Lucy and Ana _

Taped to the note was a galleon, Harry assumed that this was the portkey. He inhaled sharply, portkeys reminded him of times he'd rather forget. There was a strange pull at his navel as he felt his world whirl around him, instilling a sickly feeling in the pit of his stomach.

**Malfoy Manor**

"HARRY!" Harry chuckled as 3 girls dove on him, hugging him until he couldn't breathe.

"Merlin, leave the boy alone," came the voice of a smirking Atlas, who was dressed in a white shirt, a Forest green knitted vest, dark jeans and – oddly- a pair of slippers with bunny ears. He was grasping a pewter tankard containing what Harry assumed was butterbeer. Draco was stood behind him in a similar outfit, smiling in a more refined way. Daphne and the girls were dressed in a variety of festive jumpers, Daphne looking very unslytherin in her reindeer and snowflake attire but her cunning nature was evident in the way Harry arrived at the manor –he was sure it was her idea. He found that he was wearing a navy blue vest and black skinny jeans, accompanied by an unfamiliar white shirt that had the Malfoy insignia printed on the cuffs.

Harry was welcomed by the Malfoys and ushered through to the dining room, where a table teeming with delicious food lay. Around the table sat Blaise Zabini, Ms Zabini, Astoria (Daphne's younger sister), Lord and Lady Greengrass, Bethany Archer and Mr and Mrs Archer. Contrary to popular belief, Lucius and Narcissa had no problem with muggles, neither did their children.

Harry ate with the Malfoys often, yet the food never failed to amaze him. Roast turkeys, roast potatoes, plates full of juicy sausages and ornate boats of rich gravy. Accompanying the meal were wizarding crackers, Harry loved these. When Harry was younger his primary school would also have crackers at their end of term Christmas lunch, but those were lumps of coal compared to wizarding crackers. He pulled one with Draco, jumping at the green smoke that burst out of it, revealing a sailor's hat and a set of animated toy boats. Harry could picture the old coot, wearing his bonnet, laughing merrily at a joke, just like every Christmas Harry had had at Hogwarts.

Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Blaise nearly set fire to his hair when he leaned in too close to watch the dessert being lit, his dark brown locks were rendered slightly crisp by the lively flames. Harry watched Lucius and Cyril Greengrass chuckling and sipping wine –rather a lot of wine, Harry noted.

After the lavish meal, Atlas declared a snow ball fight and raced into the main garden of the manor. It was Harry, Atlas, Draco and Blaise versus Daphne, Ana, Lucy and Bethany. Maria and Narcissa had deemed their husbands too intoxicated and sent them to the drawing room to calm down a little bit.

Lucy pelted a couple of snowballs, hitting Atlas square on the nose, making him smirk. Lucy was just beginning to wonder why he was smirking when he hurled five at the girls, hitting them all. Daphne, a bit irritated by being successfully hit by Atlas, gathered some snow and cast a charm on them. Blaise found himself flat on his face in a couple of seconds. Harry was crouched quietly behind boys' defences, casting a difficult invisibility charm that someone, Harry couldn't quite remember who, had taught him long ago. He stood up, waved his hand in front of Atlas' face. Atlas didn't even blink, Harry grinned, and this meant he was invisible. He slowly crept over to the girl's side, a scooping up snow with his hands. Thankfully, for him anyway, the teenagers where too caught up in the fight and didn't notice footsteps in the snow.

After the fight, the teens piled back into the manor with a rosy tint in their cheeks. They rounded the corner into the informal parlour and where faced with Cyril and Lucius dressed in smart suits. Harry sent Atlas a questioning look, to which Atlas returned an expression of exaggerated bewilderment. Lucius grinned, "Ah, children! Just in time for us to prepare you for the ball," The children looked at each other as if the others knew the answer to the silent question. Sighing, Harry asked it aloud,

"What ball?"

"The annual Malfoy yule ball of course,"

"Annual? How come I don't remember this ever happening before?" Atlas piped up

"The Wizarding world has only just become truly stable, we couldn't hold one before because- " Lucius' face paled at the thought of the 3 years he spent in Azkaban.

Cyril frowned at his close friend's turmoil and continued where Lucius had left off, "What Lu's trying to say is that we can hold it this year and you're all invited!"

Maria and Narcissa appeared and wheeled the older girls away, ignoring Bethany and Astoria's protests. The 2 younger girls, Draco and Blaise were deemed too young to attend.

Harry's outfit (apparently designed especially for him) consisted of a white dress shirt, black trousers, a forest green tie, a suit jacket and a green pocket handkerchief that was folded into an apparently geometrically perfect triangle. Atlas' was identical but was in a shade of navy blue.

Harry and Atlas were lead to a pair of ornate white, wooden doors that were decorated with golden detailing. Harry slowly turned the brass door knob and swung the door open to reveal a magnificent ballroom. There were several large tables decorated with wreaths and fine china. There was a grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling, light glinting in the finely cut glass. There were ice sculptors and fountains that you could drink champagne from. In the middle of it all was a dance floor. Harry had been taught to dance by the girls on a lazy summer afternoon in their 2nd year for a laugh. Not that the thought of dancing wasn't daunting, the Malfoys were very well connected. There was sure to be a fairly large audience watching.

As predicted, the room began to fill with influential families and their offspring. Harry and Atlas were introduced to the Hartcourts, the Smythes, the Pinewoods and the Clements. They found pleasant enough conversation with Evan Hartcourt, Horatio Clements and Julian Pinewood, the eldest sons of their respective families. They were in the middle of a discussion about Quidditch positions when Jules (as they were instructed to call Julian) choked on his selected hors d'oeuvre. He recovered by gulping down a glass of peach and strawberry punch in a most unaristocratic way and nodded towards the doors.

The three girls were stood at the entrance in their outfits. Ana in a short burgundy dress, Lucy in a periwinkle gown and Daphne in a pine green dress that seemed to flow on for miles. Atlas and Harry's eyes widened. Atlas walked over to Lucy, offering her his arm, which she accepted, blushing. Evan rose to claim Ana and Harry found himself face to face with a smiling Daphne. He found himself staring at her cascading brown hair and mesmerizing green eyes, "Care to dance, Harry?"

After the first few dances, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. Harry was surprised to see Neville and his brother Nicholas in the crowd. He approached them, bringing them each a glass of punch. Nicholas thanked him for the drink, "Surprise to see you here, Harry,"

"Even more to see you, Nicholas,"

"Hello Harry," Neville greeted quietly

"Well, it was either this or the Potter's egofest," Nicholas chuckled

"I see why you chose this!" Harry replied, "Nicholas, Nick, I never said thanks properly,"

"Thanks for what?"

"That time in the library when you carried me to the hospital wing, true bravery and loyalty. You really are a Hufflepuff, and never be ashamed of being a 'Puff, ok?"

"Urm..no problem," Nick replied, his cheeks turning red

0o0o0

After what seemed like hours of dancing and laughing together, the adults decided it was time Harry returned to Hogwarts to avoid raising suspicion.

Harry hugged the girls, saluted the boys, heartily shook hands with Lucius and received affectionate pats on the back from the mothers. He returned to his room by floo, a mode of transport he was yet to master. He set the gifts from the girls and the Malfoys carefully down on his desk, smiling at the set of muggle artist's pencils from Lucy, the broom care kit from Daph, the temporary appearance changing lotion from Ana and the new robes from Lucius and Narcissa that were tastefully trimmed in a selection of colours including navy blue.

He turned to change into his pyjamas when he noticed one more parcel sitting on his bed. It was wrapped in dark green paper and, when Harry picked it up, felt like a book. He carefully unwrapped it, peeling back the paper with trepidation. He held the object in front of him, it was indeed a book. A tattered, faded, old-looking book at that. He read the title out loud, "Advanced Potion Making," Harry frowned slightly, this book was part of the N.E.W.T syllabus. He turned the cover, revealing an inscription that read 'this book is the property of the half-blood prince'. A scrap of paper fell from the wrapping paper as Harry searched for a clue as to who had sent him the gift. On the paper, in a familiar scrawl, a small note was written:

_This book has helped me greatly over my lifetime. I believe it will help you accomplish more that I could ever dream of. Merry Christmas, Harry. Use it well._

_H.B.P_

Harry blinked, H.B.P obviously stood for 'half-blood prince'. He decided it could wait till morning, it had been the best Christmas he'd had in years. It wouldn't do to spoil it in the pursuit of adventure. Adventure always lead to trouble, Harry had discovered. He drifted off to sleep, smiling at how fortunate he was to have such good friends.

Screams, a scrabble for the pot of floo powder only to discover it to be empty, desperate pleas, cruel laughter and flashes of harsh green light. Harry awoke, panting heavily, fresh from the horrors of his recurring nightmare. He swung himself out of bed, "Just the right time for a midnight stroll," He thought to himself somewhat bitterly. He whispered, "_Caecitis,_" rendering himself invisible as he slipped out of the common room and up one of the many flights of stairs. Adrenaline suddenly rushed through him as he found himself tiptoeing around the deserted corridors of Hogwarts.

Suddenly he heard the familiar footsteps of Filch, out on his nightly patrol. He ducked behind a nearby suit of armour and waited. He hid in the shadows as Filch's hunchbacked form shuffled past, sighing silently as the aged caretaker disappeared from sight. A shiver ran up Harry's spine as he realised that Filch was blocking his was back to the tower. He backed away from his hiding spot and into what he assumed was an empty classroom. It did look like an unused classroom, stacks of desks pushed up against the wall. Right in the middle of the room was a tall shape, unlike a chair or desk. It was an ornate mirror, nearly as high as the ceiling. As Harry drew nearer he could just make out a phrase carved delicately into the gold frame. _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. _For the second time that evening, Harry's face was one of intrigue. His Ravenclaw tendencies soon prevailed and he began to inspect the phrase as if it was a riddle that granted entrance to the common room.

He began crossing off possibilities: code (no, magic was too literal for that), anagram (again, it would confuse the intent behind the magic) and backwards writing. His last option made sense…mirror writing…on a magical mirror. Harry had to admit that wizards had a great sense of humour. So mirror writing, Erised was…desire! I show not your face but your heart's desire?

He glanced cautiously back at the door then peered into the mirror. His breath hitched, in the mirror stood not only his reflection but other people too. James Potter, his _father, _had his arm draped around his shoulders and was teaching him a spell of some kind. He shivered, subconsciously tracing the scar on his shoulder that remained from the time James had found him pretending a stick was a wand and had punished him by hitting him with the aforementioned stick. He turned around, expecting James to be there, hatred clouding his face, preparing to punish him. But the room was empty. He turned back to the mirror, attempting to calm his breathing. Another figure entered the scene, a woman with fiery red hair and kind emerald eyes. Lily. Lily Potter. His mother. She began laughing cheerfully and hugging Harry and— no! It was too much for him. He ran back to the tower and collapsed on his bed. He glanced at the stack of presents on his bed and calmed himself, he had his friends, and he didn't need his family. As he lay in bed, attempting to go to sleep, the Voice whispered the same mysterious phrase to him that he uttered every year, "Merry Christmas Harry, one day you'll find somewhere you belong," Harry drifted off, and for the first time, after all the years the Voice had been with him, Harry James Potter felt like he belonged.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N enjoy this! Late second year maybe early third year a minor pairing will start, this may sound normal but just to warn you guys, it will be slash. If you don't like slash, I'm not forcing you to read. It's not a major pairing, as I said, but it will fill a chapter. It'll mostly be background, for the ppl that are okay with and/or like slash, I think you'll love the 2 chars I've put together xx**

Just realised that I haven't been doing disclaimers, oops! Anyway HP is not mine, I only own Atlas, Morgana, Lucille and Oliver.

**_HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 6: _****_Quidditch and surprisingly, Dragons _**

Harry had decided not to visit the strange mirror again after the Christmas incident. Harry wished he hadn't found the mirror to begin with, it was a painful reminder to his parent's neglectful behavior and as a result, led to more nightmares. The green light and laughter were no longer the sole things that haunted him at night.

One night, shortly after he had found the mirror, he was tossing and turning, another memory had surfaced.

_After Oliver had opened his letter, and after James had announced the celebratory visit to Diagon Alley, Harry had been dragged back down the stairs to accompany the Potters. Harry knew he was only going because his parents would be criticised for not taking him and after all, appearances had to be kept. Harry was glad that he didn't have to wear a stupid suit like his brother did. The suit was red and gold and clashed violently with his brother's vibrant red hair. Harry himself could wear whatever he pleased, thought he had little to choose from. He usually received the golden boy's hand-me-downs but these were little use because he was taller and slimmer than the boy-who-was-spoiled, not to mention he was 3 years older than Oliver. On the few occasions that he was given money, he spent it on books and writing equipment. All in all, his wardrobe was rather limited. He did, however, possess an outfit that he adored. It was made up of gifts that the Malfoys had subtly given him. A dark blue shirt, black jeans and blue converse. Harry would've much preferred the outfit to have featured some green but that was against everything his family stood for. His family…well they hadn't been his family for a long time._

"_Now remember, I will step out first and announce our saviour's arrival then Oliver will follow and then your mother, ok?" heads two nodded back at James and he smiled at them fondly. His gaze then fell upon a third figure, hiding in the shadows. He sighed, honestly this boy would be the death of him! He reached out, grabbed Harry by the shoulder and said "You, squib, will not make a scene or attract attention away from your brother. Am I understood?" Harry shrugged and his so-called-father slapped him, "I repeat, am I understood?!" James barked in his face. _

_Harry replied a solemn "Yes Mister Potter," James glowered at his useless son for a moment before stepping into the green flames. _

_Harry had never been any good at travelling by floo. His brother had had lots of practice when travelling to and from press conferences and to his special lessons with Dumbledore at Hogwarts. He tumbled out of the fire in the leaky cauldron, thankfully nobody but the bartender, Tom, was watching him. Everyone was bombarding his brother with questions and requests for autographs. Oliver lapped this up like a cat who got the cream. Harry dug his hands into his pockets and proceeded into the alley, leaving the chaotic scene behind him. His father had given him sufficient galleons to buy the essentials, no spare money to spend on a scoop at Florean's or to get extra wards put on his school trunk. Harry sighed and strolled over to Madame Malkin's to buy his robes. _

He awoke, his hand cupping his cheek as if he had only just been slapped.

"What's the old codger doing? Leaving something like that just lying around in a school?" Lucy exclaimed as Harry relayed his dreams and the incident to his friends when the holidays were over.

"Merlin knows! He's as mad as a box of frogs, Dad says it's a wonder they let him stay here," Atlas said between mouthfuls of toast.

"What I want to know, is what Potter and his minions are doing," Ana gestured to the trio that were huddled together, whispering.

"Wait a second," Harry put down his spoon, "_Sonari_," he whispered, twitching his index finger slightly. The modified Sonorus charm would play directly into his ears.

_Harry hadn't needed a wand since the summer of his twelfth year. Harry hadn't been allowed a toy wand like Oliver had, he wasn't deemed worthy of one. Every time Harry asked why he wasn't allowed one his parents replied "Stop this jealousy at once! We've already told you that Ollie-Wollie is more important, we can't waste money on you!" Harry scowled at the memory of Oliver being applauded for levitating a glass of water over Harry's head and then pouring it over him, leaving his hair drenched. He sighed and pushed open the wandmaker's door. He gazed around the shop in awe. This awe was short lived as he wondered that if the wand chose the wizard, why were wands pre-made? "Ah Mr Harry Potter!" Harry was brought out of his train of thought by the sound of an eccentric old wizard greeting him rather loudly._

_Half an hour, one broken lamp and a smashed window later, the pair were still waiting for the wand to choose the young wizard. Harry sighed in despair as he picked up a wand, waved it and a crash was heard deep within the shop. Ollivander remained worryingly upbeat as his shop was being slowly demolished. He picked up what seemed like the millionth wand and handed it to Harry. The boy tiredly flicked the wand, wondering how he hadn't injured his wrist from the constant wishing and waving of the magical instrument, expecting it to cause a chair to explode. Surprisingly, green, silver, blue, red and gold sparks to flare up from the wand. Ollivander's face lit up, "Ah! 9 galleons, Holly, phoenix feather, 11 inches and nice and supple…curious, very curious indeed," He was about to describe how exactly the wand was curious when he realised that the boy had already departed and there was a small pile of galleons sat on his counter._

"Who is he? I've looked everywhere, no mention of a 'Nicholas Flamel' anywhere!" came the voice of Granger

"I've heard it somewhere before," Oliver pondered

"We'll have to look again later mate, you've got Quidditch practice straight after Transfiguration, haven't you?" Ron put in

It was a shame that Ron had latched onto Oliver, instead of following in his older brothers' footsteps. Harry wondered if, without Oliver's influence, he and Ron could've been friends. Shrugging this thought off, Harry told his friends of the conversation.

"How can they not have heard of Nicholas Flamel?" Atlas said in disbelief, surely everyone who had lived in the Wizarding world for all of their life knew about the Flamels?

"Beats me, though Ronnie is right about one thing," Ana began, "We have Quidditch practice after Potions

0o0o0

Arnie Clearwater, the captain of the Ravenclaw Eagles, was a real slave driver. Ravenclaw had won the cup for 3 consecutive years now and he wanted another victory before he left to join Puddlemere United. Jacob Langley was leaving the school in about five weeks to pursue a career in broomstick making, now the team was going to be short of a chaser. Several had turned up to try out but surprisingly the chosen player was Evan Hartcourt, the 15 year old Harry had met at the ball. Evan turned out to be an excellent chaser and Arnie was delighted. The training with Evan and the others was going brilliantly and they often played friendly games with the Hufflepuff Badgers.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Arnie gave the team a bit of bad news. James Potter would be refereeing and he'd be very biased towards Gryffindor.

"Potter's refereeing?" Atlas groaned

"I'm afraid so," Arnie said sadly, swinging his broom over his shoulder and walking back to the changing rooms with a lowered head

Harry and Atlas walked off to meet Ana in the library, unaware of the event occurring in the Gryffindor common room.

0o0o0

Despite constant reassurance that James wouldn't try to kill him, Harry became more and more nervous. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. Cho Chang, their star seeker, had fallen victim to Hogwart's stairs. Though she was not too badly injured, the broken leg would keep her in the Hospital Wing for at least 2 days if Madam Pomfrey could help it. This meant the Eagles were a Seeker short. In a moment of madness, Arnie had remembered a 12 year old Harry, desperate to become Seeker. It was decided that Harry would play Seeker and Evan play Chaser alongside Jacob and Atlas.

"Remember, Eagles, Potter – no offence Harry – will be looking for any chance to give Gryffindor the upper hand," Arnie was rounding off his pep talk to the team as they sat in the changing rooms. Harry sighed, knowing all too well that James would call out a fowl over a dropped Beater's bat. Arnie had repeated that James would try every trick in the book to make them lose a thousand times over. He breathed out heavily as Atlas patted him on the back and they reached for their brooms.

"If _Potter _tries anything on At or Harry I'll murder him!" Daphne muttered to Lucy as they sat in the stands together, waiting for the match to begin.

"Maybe not murder, let's not do anything rash," Lucy's Hufflepuff tendencies shone through

"Ok…I've got it! If the big headed git does try anything dodgy we'll just cast a _Locomotor Mortis _on him so he falls off of his broom!" Daphne grinned, leaning back into her seat, pleased with her plan

"Slytherins," Lucy murmured, knowing she couldn't change her friend's mind

0o0o0

In the changing rooms, Arnie had taken Harry aside.

"No pressure Harry, but we really need this win. It'll put us ahead of Slytherin!" Arnie said, his passion coming across in his sincere words.

"Not trying to worry you guys or anything but it looks like the whole school has turned up," Evan called from the gap in the curtain.

Harry slid his wand into its holster and the Voice whispered, "Don't worry, you'll be a natural,"

Atlas ruffled his hair as the team walked out in formation. James' expression faltered slightly as he saw Harry clutching an old Cleansweep and wearing Ravenclaw robes. The boy played Quidditch? He smirked inwardly, "Ollie'll annihilate him!" he thought.

"Potter looks pleased with himself," Daphne noted as they watched the teams emerge.

A booming voice bounced around the pitch, Lee Jordan was reprising his role as commentator, "Amazing line up for this match! For Ravenclaw we have Beaters Roger Davies and Bradley Edgecombe, Keeper and Captain Arnold Clearwater, Chasers Jacob Langley, Evan Hartcourt and Atlas Malfoy. 'What?' I hear you cry! That's right, due to an unfortunate accident on the way to Astronomy, Cho Chang is unable to play Seeker. So, Jacob Langley will play his last game as Chaser alongside Atlas Malfoy and newcomer Evan Hartcourt whilst the Seeker will be...drumroll please…HARRY POTTER!" cheers erupted from all four stands as the Ravenclaw team smiled and waved.

"And for Gryffindor," Lee continued, "We have legendary Beaters Fred and George Weasley, Keeper and Captain Oliver Wood, Chasers Morgana Zabini, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson and finally our star Seeker…OLIVER 'BOY WHO LIVED' POTTER!"

Harry glanced sideways just in time to notice James handing Oliver a small package. Just as Oliver raised the contents to his lips, Harry cast a silent and wandless _Reducto_. He wondered what the package was, but this was no time for wondering, it was time for Quidditch.

Lucy was uncharacteristically annoyed, Potter had just awarded Gryffindor a penalty because the bludger had decided to worm its way towards Oliver. This was apparently Roger and Bradley's fault. Ana sent her an apologetic look but Lucy dismissed it, it wasn't Ana's fault either.

Meanwhile, Harry was circling the pitch, looking for the golden glint of the snitch. Suddenly, Oliver squealed very loudly, in a way that made him sound oddly similar to a pig. He had lost control of his broom. Thankfully, for Oliver that is, James swooped over and caught him. Harry had to admit, Potter did have skill when it came to Quidditch.

"Looks like Potter's not as good as they say he is," Draco sneered as he plopped down as gracefully as a Malfoy should into the seat next to Daphne. Blaise and Theo joined them a second later, also smirking.

"Apparently so," replied Daphne absentmindedly, watching as Potter Sr hauled his, er, rotund son back onto the boy's Nimbus 2000.

"Shambles, the Gryffindor team was alright before they let that nitwit on," Draco drawled

"Aww, is little Drakey Snakey jealous of our most glorious savior?" Daphne teased

"Shut up Daph, Ana deserves to be on a good team and we all know that Gryffindor isn't at its best,"

Blaise perked up and the mention of his sister and nodded, "Potter's an idiot,"

"As is his lapdog," Draco nodded towards Ron in the Gryffindor stand.

Harry grinned. There. Just by the Hufflepuffs. Harry flew up higher, pretending to survey the pitch. The Snitch was toying with him, blending in with the yellow checks draped on the stand. Harry sharply inhaled and went down into an almost vertical dive.

"Potter, Ravenclaw Potter, has just dived – and oh! He's done it!" Lee roared, if a little put out after his House's defeat.

"Ruddy hell!", "Woah!" and "Amazing!" flew around the stadium as Harry flew over to his team mates, beaming.

"That must be some sort of record!" Lee shouted over the ruckus, "160 – 30 to Ravenclaw with an impressive dive from Harry Potter!"

All the while, James Potter and his youngest son stood seething in the Gryffindor changing rooms, their usual plan had failed.

Harry didn't stay for the after party, he preferred the quiet the lake provided. He lay by the lake, looking up at the magnificent castle before him. He chewed thoughtfully on his pencil before beginning to sketch out the castle's outline in his sketchpad. He noticed a hooded figure descending the castle steps. He recognized that walk, the brisk nature of the strides. Sev. He was heading to the forbidden forest. Strange, Harry thought, because Sev very much kept himself to himself, staying in the dungeons the majority of the time. Wandering around the grounds while the students ate dinner and celebrated – or seethed over – the result of the match. He scooped up his Cleansweep, affectionately known as Chester, and took off.

He circled the trees, keeping a note of Severus' location. He flew lower, landing softly on a large branch of Oak. He caught sight of an unmistakable purple turban. Quirrell. What was his stuttering professor doing in the forest so late?

"… d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus …"

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Severus, his voice cold. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Stone, after all,"

Severus mumbled something that Harry couldn't quite hear.

"B-b-but Severus, I —"

"You really don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Sev

"I-I don't know what you —"

"Shut it, Quirinus. You know full well what I mean,"

"B-but Severus," but Sev was already gone

0o0o0

"Harry, where have you been?" was the expected question that anyone would expect a friend to ask but Atlas simply smiled at him when he entered the common room, knowing that his almost-brother had been down at the lake. Harry nodded back and retreated to his room, it was going to be a long night.

0o0o0

Severus, when questioned extensively by Harry, wouldn't say anything. He simply said, "It's too dangerous for you to get caught up in," and proceeded to lock his office door. Harry slumped down outside Severus' office, head in his hands. Even the adult he trusted the most wouldn't help him. He hopped up and took the familiar yet ever changing route back to the tower.

Life at Hogwarts continued as per usual, classes, breakfast and Quidditch. The Gryffindor Trio had become even more conspiratorial. Harry and his friends speculated that the three had been researching the stone. They were right. Harry snorted as Oliver strode confidently down the corridor, Ron and Hermione trailing after him like lost puppies. Ron had a hunger for fame that he was sure he could find with Oliver's help and Hermione was, surprisingly, infatuated with the boy. Harry followed the group one night after he spotted them whilst out on a late night stroll. He smirked slightly when he saw the first years peeking into the room on the third floor. What amused him more was that they seemed to believe that Quirrell was the victim and Severus was terrorising him. Oliver would stop and smile in a way that he probably deemed comforting but was really just downright patronising. Daphne made a passing comment that Oliver must really fancy Quirrell to keep staring at him like that. From then on they referred to the boy-who-was-arrogant as 'Mrs Quirrell'.

The Easter holidays and end of year exams were approaching. Harry would spend the holidays at Hogwarts and Atlas expected Harry to be in his room most of the time, studying for his exams, he was a Ravenclaw for a reason.

It was a few days into the break and Harry was sat in the library, furiously scribbling notes on Boggarts (they had yet to do a practical on this, he'd have to ask Sev) when there was an uproar from the Trio's table. He caught the words 'Dragon', 'illegal' and 'Hagrid'. Harry sighed, he'd become friends with the amicable half-giant in first year. Hagrid was always up to something, dangerous or not, he always meant well. Harry monitored the three after they were shushed and warned by Madam Pince. About 20 minutes later, they gathered up their books and stuffed them into their bags, "Trust your instincts," the Voice whispered encouragingly. Harry quietly followed them, descending the hill down to Hagrid's hut only a few paces behind them, well hidden by a charm.

Oliver bashed on the door, the curtains twitched and a voice called out, "Who is it?" before letting them in and slamming the door quickly. Harry just about made it through the door, sitting down by Fang in his basket and shushing the hound.

Hagrid offered them some tea and some dubious looking sandwiches that were, if Harry wasn't mistaken, roasted stoat.

"So, yeh had somethin' to ask me?"

Hermione nudged Oliver and he spoke, "Yes, well we wanted to know if there's anything else, apart from Fluffy, guarding the stone?"

Hagrid stared at him for a second and laughed, "Course I can't! 'A don't know what's there meself and if 'a did, well 'a couldn't tell yeh!"

Oliver's face fell, "But Haaaagriiiid," he whined, "Pleeeeaaaase?"

"Now, young Oliver, 'a can't! 'I've told yeh, 'a can' t. Its guarded for a reason, nearly stolen it was,"

"But you've got to help us, Snape's –'' Ron began

"_Professor _Snape," Hermione corrected

"Ok, Professor Snape's trying to steal it!" Ron finished

"Snape? He's one of the people Dumbledore's trusted teh keep the stone safe,"

The three Gryffindors exchanged glances.

"You _are_ the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" asked Oliver, now slightly anxious, "And you wouldn't tell any one, not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid, puffing out his chest, he leaned over to poke the fire.

"Er, Hagrid, what's _that_?" Hermione shifted uncomfortably

In the centre of the fire lay an obsidian black egg. Harry's eyes widened. _That _was a Norwegian Ridgeback egg, he'd helped Charlie hatch one.

Ron crouched down so he could get a closer look, "Bloody hell! Where'd you get this, Hagrid?" he pulled a small wizard photograph in which he and his brother were cradling a similar egg, "This is a Norwegian Ridgeback, they cost a ton of money, Charlie told me,"

Ron was right, Harry thought, Ridgebacks were very expensive to buy if you didn't have a breeder's license and Harry was sure Hagrid didn't have a license.

" 'A won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. 'A was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad teh get rid of it, teh be honest."

"What're you going to do with a Norwegian Ridgeback?" said Oliver

"This is a _school_!" Hermione admonished

Hagrid reeled off the care instructions from _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit_. When he had finished, he was beeming. Hermione was still muttering about regulations.

"Oh come on, 'Mione!" Oliver crooned, using her nickname. They needed Hermione for her brains, it came in very handy when it was time to write a 1,000 word essay titled 'Exploring Goblin Revolutions'.

The three thanked Hagrid and left the hut. Harry sighed, this was just what he needed, first his idiot of a brother accusing Severus of stealing the stone, now Hagrid was breeding Dragons illegally.

0o0o0

Harry cleared some space on his desk and uncapped his fountain pen.

_Dear Charlie,_

_How's Dragon life treating you? If I'm not mistaken, your darling youngest brother will send you a request soon. Just a warning, look forward to seeing you if I can. Sorry for the short letter, will write properly when things at this blasted school calm down. Fred and George are doing fine, full of pranks and general mischief. Percy is his normal, prattish self. Oh well. _

_Much love,_

_Harry _

He sealed the parchment and marked it '_Charles Weasley'_. He whistled and Hedwig flew off of her perch and landed on his shoulder, "Hey, girl!" he whispered, holding out the letter. Hedwig took it, bowed and flew out of the window.

0o0o0

A few days later, Harry, Atlas, Daphne, Lucy and Ana were sat at the Hufflepuff table, talking to Cedric Diggory about Quidditch tactics. The trio were at it again, whispering, nodding and giggling. Harry silently cast a muffling charm and carried on crunching on some cereal.

After his first lesson, which happened to be a DADA about the dangers of wild dragons, Harry was surprised to see Draco running up to him, breathless.

"Breathe, little dragon," Harry grasped his shoulders and steadied him

"Dragons, Potter, Hagrid, Hatching,"

"Okay, Drake, stay here,"

Draco, being the Slytherin he was, followed regardless.

They crouched outside the hut, peeking through the curtains and watching in intrigue as the creature emerged from its black cage. Hagrid suddenly stiffened and shuffled to the window. Harry cursed and cast his invisibility spell on himself and Draco. They heard Hagrid boom, "Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains," before they ran back up to the castle, grinning at the thrill of it all. The door of the hut swung open, Oliver's stocky figure appeared. The boy squinted, nobody was there. It wasn't possible. They couldn't have got away that quickly.

0o0o0

"Drake, stop smirking at them," Harry said seriously as he caught Oliver scowling at the Slytherin, "They've likely realised it was you at the hut,"

"Sorry, Harry. Can't help it,"

0o0o0

Harry was reading _A study in scarlet_ when Hedwig flew through the open window, clutching a letter.

_Dear Harrikins,_

_You were right, as per usual. Ron did send me a letter. Unfortunately our Ridgeback, Thor, clawed it to bits before I could copy it. However, I managed to duplicate my reply to him. It is stuck below with that marvelous muggle gloo you gave me._

_**Dear Ron,**_

_**How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at mid night on Saturday? I can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark.**_

_**Send me an answer as soon as possible.**_

_**Charlie**_

_You see, I was considering sending Antonio and Alfonso (those Italian wizards that came up to the reserve when you were here) to get the dragon but I decided it would probably be best if Greggory (you remember him, right, our head of Horntails?) and I came down. You know how Ron can mess stuff up, especially if Potter's spawn is involved._

_I hope we will get to meet while I'm at the school._

_Your brother in everything but blood,_

_Charlie_

Harry grinned, he would follow them.

0o0o0

"Harry's up to something," Atlas whispered to Lucy as they ate dinner

Lucy glanced over at their friend, his hand was balled into a fist, "Definitely, keep an eye on him in the tower later?"

"Course, you know I will," he winked at her, noticing the blush appearing on her cheeks. She coughed and stared at her goblet.

Harry _was _up to something. He had been shadowing the trio, the large crate and Hagrid up the endless stairs and down an abundance of corridors.

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, Oliver and Hermione covered the crate with a shimmery cloth that made the crate disappear and stepped under neath it themselves, "Mummy will never forget you!" Harry's heart clenched at that, his mummy had forgotten him. He shrugged it off

"Nearly there!" Oliver panted, he'd never really received any fitness training or had the initiative to do it himself. As a result he was unfit and podgy. They rounded the corner of a stair well within the tallest tower. Suddenly, something ahead of them moved. It was McGonagall of all people.

"Detention!" she shouted at the student that was being held by his robes, Draco, "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how _dare_ you —"

"You don't understand, Professor. Oliver Potter's coming, he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on, let's see what Professor Snape has to say about this, Mr. Malfoy!"

The figures disappeared and the trio breathed heavily. They continued their journey.

Charlie's and Greggory were cheerful and jokey. They showed Oliver and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Oliver and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much. Ron swore his brother was smiling at the barrels stacked up on the other side of the tower, yes, he was, and he had winked at the barrels. Maybe prolonged exposure to dragons had made Charlie slightly mad.

Harry simply grinned and wished he could give Charlie a wink back. Then Norbert was gone. Gone. Everything had gone to plan. At least that's what Harry, Hagrid and the three first years had thought. All of a sudden, Hermione gasped. Filch's leering face had appeared suddenly out of the shadows, his face a scene of twisted amusement.

"Well, well, well," he whispered gleefully, "We _are_ in trouble."

It was looking pretty bad for the trio. Filch had escorted them to Professor McGonagall's study. Worst of all, Harry's charm, only meant for short term use, had worn off on the way down. Hermione wore an expression of pure terror. Harry felt a pang of sympathy for the girl, she was really only going along with the boys. Oliver tried to look like he was in control but failed miserably. Ron, well Ron looked as if he was about to wet himself. Harry remained calmly composed, he sat, back straight and hands in his lap. He'd sent a flare to the girls and Atlas.

Professor McGonagall appeared, leading a worried Neville Longbottom.

"I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you and he said you had a drag…" Neville gushed, Oliver kicked him in the shin.

But McGonagall had heard. Harry sent Neville a comforting look and mentally sent the message 'quick, Nev in McGonagall's office' to Nicholas. He patted the chair next to him, the faint hearted boy shot him grateful look and sat.

"I may have expected this from you, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, maybe Miss Granger. But _you _Harry?" McGonagall began, her voiced laced with anger and disappointment, "Mr. Filch says you were up in the Astronomy Tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. _Explain__,_"

Silence.

"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Pro fessor McGonagall, "It doesn't take Merlin to work it out. You fed Mr. Malfoy some silly story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I sup pose you think it's funny that Mr. Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"

"Professor, if you'll listen to me," Harry's voice was calm and controlled, "I wasn't involved with their activities, simply observing so the _darlings_ didn't injure themselves. I don't know how Drake here got involved but I'm sure he was trying his best to help. You know he is like a brother to me, I wouldn't try and get him in trouble, I wouldn't put it past Potter here though,"

Professor McGonagall's expression softened slightly then returned to an iron glare, "Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Pot ter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions, yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, _nothing_ gives you the right to walk around school at night, espe cially these days, it's very dangerous and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor,"

The student's gasped and began to beg their teacher to see reason.

"As for you, Harry you will –'' She paused, there was a rapid knocking at the door. She stood and opened the door. Five students in a colourful variety of robes tumbled into the office. Atlas, Daphne, Lucy, Ana and Nicholas looked at the Gryffindor head of house sheepishly.

"Uh, I'm here to get Nev," Nick said almost inaudibly, he scooped up his younger brother and carried him out of the office.

"More students, Merlin help me!" McGonagall muttered

"Harry flared us, we knew something was up," the four remaining intruders said in unison

"I see, can you tell me what a 'flare' is" she questioned

Atlas shoved his hand in his pocket and dug around for a second before pulling out a galleon, "Er, to the average observer, this is a galleon. But to us, it's a flare. I don't really know how it works,"

"I'll take over from there, thanks At," Harry smiled, "but I'd prefer it if Potter and co were dismissed,"

McGonagall nodded and gestured for the trio to leave. Oliver's face reddened, "You can't just dismiss me, I'm the boy who lived! I'm your saviour!"

"Leave," McGonagall persisted sternly and the boy stormed out, Ron and Hermione scuttling after him.

"Proceed, Harry,"

"Well, it's a mix of charms…"

They left the office an hour later, leaving an astonished Minerva behind. They had insisted that if Harry was to serve a detention with Filch, they'd brave it too.

**A/N thanks for reading, feel free to review and suggest things**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N enjoy this! I've decided to show dialogue like this:**

"**Normal speech,"**

**^Voice whispers^**

**$Parseltongue (when the time is right)$**

**Also, the flares are basically the DA coins **

Disclaimer: I don't own HP, make any profit by posting on here or own an ice-cream van bought with money made from the franchise (Rupert Grint, we salute you)

**_HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 7: Detentions, Demons and Disasters_**

150 points. That's what Gryffindor had lost, putting them in last place. Ana had been muttering about 'stupid kids' and 'bloody dragons' all day. Ravenclaw, having only lost 15 points due to Harry's slight involvement, was less ruffled. It had taken, by Harry's watch, 45 minutes for the trio to dash Gryffindor's hopes of winning the House Cup. Harry, while pleased that his brother had been taken down a peg or two, still felt for Neville. The boy had obviously been trodden down by his infamous Grandmother for the majority of his existence. Harry knew that the brothers didn't discuss their parents' misfortune. Neville had spent the day hiding behind his brother, who was fiercely protective, and generally avoiding the trio. Gryffindor house was also avoiding the three. It was like there had been some unspoken agreement and papers had been signed to send them to Coventry.

Oliver Potter, star seeker and saviour, had lost them their chance to win the Cup. The boy had gone from the person everyone wanted to be friends with to the person you avoided unless you wanted to suddenly be devoid of all of _your _friends.

Ravenclaw now held first place, Slytherin second, Hufflepuff third and Gryffindor sulking at fourth and last place.

"It's a good thing we're first, no offence Daph but the look on Drake's face would last all summer – '' Atlas sighed

"Not to mention the constant boasting, I swear Drake holds the record for the smuggest 12 year old to have ever walked the earth," Harry cut in, nodding towards the blond as he and Theo surveyed the hourglasses in an attempt to look nonchalant.

Ron supported Oliver through the glares, shouting insults at anyone who whispered to their friends. Hermione looked a bit uncomfortable about the whole thing but relented when Oliver batted his eyelashes at her and smiled sweetly.

"They've stopped talking to him, you know?" Ana bounded up to them after Quidditch practice

"Who?"

"Oliver, even Wood and the Weasleys refer to him as the Seeker,"

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Lucy put in quietly as she nibbled on the end of her quill

"Oh, Luce, you always see the world in a good light," Atlas beamed, "But just this once, you've got to see that Potter's booked himself a one-way flight to Coventry and the only way he's coming back is if he sorts himself out," Atlas downed the rest of the muggle drink Harry had bought them, 'Cooka Cohlah' apparently.

"Wood said he's thinking of kicking him off of the team, yeah it's nearly the end of term but we still have that Badger match and Oliver's got very bad recently," Ana said as she gulped another mouthful of the sweet beverage, "Wood says that if McGonagall won't let him, the little bugger is being transferred to the Foxes,"

Daphne choked on her drink, the Foxes were by far the worst reserve team at Hogwarts. It was barely maintained by the Keeper, Warren Bell. Warren was a talented player, though too focused on his studies to play on the main team. He held weekly sessions with the Foxes, where anyone who wasn't accepted onto the main team but still wanted to play practiced.

"Oh, yeah, before the Eagles vs Lions match I saw James hand Oliver something, like an enhancer," Harry suddenly remembered

"An enhancer?"

"You mean he's been cheating?" Lucy asked

"Course he has, is _that _the build of a Seeker?" Atlas suppressed his laughter as he gestured to the copper haired boy stood with the youngest Weasley son.

0o0o0

"An enhancer?" Severus Snape looked up from his cauldron in mild surprise, it was lunchtime and Harry was in Severus' private brewing room, "That boy couldn't crush a snake fang let alone produce such a thing," he put a temporary stasis charm on his cauldron and sat on a stool facing Harry's workbench, "What did this 'enhancer' look like?"

"Like a solid gold chunk of chocolate," Harry answered, crushing a Sopophorous bean with the silver dagger Lucius had given him, remembering the advice from the mysterious book he had received for Christmas. He frowned slightly, remembering that Sev hadn't got him anything.

"Solid gold eh? Like a Midas bar? Gold enhancer…" Sev's eyebrows shot up, "Felix Felicis…how did the brat brew liquid luck?"

"I'm guessing this 'liquid luck' is a difficult potion?"

"Difficult?! Harry, it takes 6 months to brew, 6 very precise months of brewing!"

"Ah, so quite difficult?"

"You could say that,"

"He must've had it made by one of those specialists,"

"Specialists?"

"Over the holidays the Potters go on a hunt to find out exactly what Oliver did to defeat Voldemort," Harry glanced at Sev's arm, "They go all around Europe, they went to see a Potions master, I remember, last summer. Don't ask me why they went but his name was 'Ignite' or something,"

"Ignis, Angelo De Ignis – Angelo of Fire. Brilliant brewer, bit mad, will do pretty much anything for a bit of cash,"

"So a James bought Felix Felicis and solidified it or something so Oliver excels in Quidditch?"

"Plausible, your _father_ will do anything to get to the top,"

"So how would James solidify the potion, his strengths are Quidditch, DADA and Transfiguration," Harry held his nose as he added the sloth brain to his cauldron.

"He may have paid Ignis to solidify it. There's a small company called Merlin's, they make a bar called 'The Midas'. James' could've recreated the bar using the Felix Felicis and given it to Oliver, claiming that it is his son's lucky charm. We need to find Ignis,"

"No idea where they went to find him,"

"Di Ignis is very illusive, though he was seen in –''

At that moment, the door burst open. It was _Quirrell_.

"P-professor S-s-snape? I n-need to talk t-to you, if t-t-that's al-r-r-right,"

"Yes, I'll be right with you," Severus turned to Harry, "Potter, bottle up that potion and deliver it to Madam Pomfrey for her stores,"

"Ok Professor," Harry said, putting on a false glum voice, pouring his potion into a large vial and leaving the room, winking at Severus as he left.

"…no choice…" floated down the dark, damp corridor as Harry traipsed up the flight of stairs that along with a series of others, led to the Hospital Wing, one of Harry's usual haunts.

0o0o0

Harry kept a serious gaze on the wall outside charms as Quirrell sped past them, straightening his turban, the door of the classroom he had been in slammed shut of its own accord, tears clearly running down his face. He and Severus must've changed location to talk about the Stone, most probably. But Severus did not exit the classroom. Harry observed as Oliver sent Quirrell a worried glance but seemed to talk himself out of following the sobbing professor.

"What's up with Lord Stutter-a-lot?" Atlas asked mockingly

"Probably had a domestic with his turban," Daphne sniggered

"We'd better be getting to the library, Flitwick wants the essay on Lumos Maxima in by next lesson," Harry exclaimed suddenly as he spotter the trio heading in the direction of the library.

They settled down at their usual table, where Nick and a very nervous Neville were already seated.

"Urm, hi Harry," Neville murmured

"No hello for us, mate?" Atlas remarked, amused

"Urm…er…hi," Neville's face flushed red

"Just joking Littlebottom," Atlas ruffled the younger boy's blond tuft, "Relax, exams will fly past,"

"Hello," Nick greeted, looking up from his Herbology textbook, "Little terrors reckon Snape's stealing something, the Philosopher's something, they are _really_ bad at whispering,"

0o0o0

Oliver glared as his brother slid onto a bench at the Gryffindor table with that _Malfoy _boy, the _traitor _Zabini, a bloody _Slytherin_ and that quiet one from Hufflepuff, Lusilly or something? He scowled as Fred and George grinned at the raven-haired boy and slipped him something that looked like one of the twin's prototype sweets. He was about to swipe the purple treat out of the boy's long fingers when the owls arrived. A tawny owl swooped down and deposited several letters in the middle of the table before gliding to the Slytherin table to greet an embarrassed Draco. Oliver visibly paled as he reached for the letter addressed in neat red cursive. Harry and his friends reached for theirs, addressed in colours according to their house. They read in silence.

Harry smirked as Oliver's face turned beet red, he looked even more ridiculous than usual. Hermione was close to tears, she'd never had a detention in her entire life. Harry felt a pang of sympathy for the younger girl, maybe he should introduce her to Ginny, Charlie and Bill's younger and only sister. He turned his thoughts back to the parchment in front of him, 11 o'clock with Filch of all people! Oliver slammed his plump fist on the table, causing several goblets to topple over, earning him several glares and angry mutters, "My Dad will hear of this, he's a top auror you know, best of the best! And how they dare give me a detention? I am the boy who lived, the chosen one!" he ranted, though the rest of the table paid him no heed, still angry with him for the point-losing debacle, the rest of the hall _did_ turn to stare at him.

"Oh do shut up, you pompous, bigheaded tosser!" came Draco's voice

"Maybe if you stopped and listened you'd know how idiotic you sound," seconded Theo

"You're all very lucky he's not in the hall, he's on _duty_! He's saving people, your families would be dead if it wasn't for him and more importantly, me. He'll have you all arrested, you'll see! Yes you too, you _mudblood_!" He sneered at a sniggering Ravenclaw. Harry's fists clenched, small crescents imprinted on his palm.

Seconds after the word had left his mouth he found green eyes staring at him, school robes being grasped by slender fingers, "Never use that word! I expect only Voldemort's," a collective gasp echoed around the grand room, "followers to use such foul language. Your own mother is a muggle. Yes, we are lucky that _your father_ isn't here, no matter how much he spoils you, I know that he would disown you if you used that word," he pushed Oliver back in his seat.

"Mr Potter! How dare you!" came Dumbledore's booming voice as Harry turned to sit

"You wanted to talk to me, Professor Dumbledore?"

"He is our _saviour!"_

"Headmaster, you are a clever man. Do you really believe that a baby could defeat a dark lord?" Harry asked calmly, spinning on his heals to face Dumbledore, "Grindlewald wasn't quite as powerful as Voldemort," cue collective gasp, "but it still took a powerful, grown up wizard, you, to defeat him. Do any of you," he made eye contact with each of the Professors sitting at the table before him, lingering on Quirrell who looked even more distraught than usual, "think a young child, a more baby could defeat a lord more powerful than one defeated by a grown man?" and with that Harry sat down, his cool demeanour not slipping for a single second. He reached for his goblet of pumpkin juice, winking at Atlas who just shook his head in amusement and reached for his own goblet.

0o0o0

"Alright then, follow me," Filch sneered in undisguised disgust at the students before him, lighting a lamp and shuffling towards the grounds, "Well, 'urry up!"

They crossed the moonlit grounds, Oliver leading the children in an arrogant manner, despite the incident this morning, the boy-who-lived had regained his deluded sense of superiority. Hermione, faithful as ever, trotted beside him in a manner that reminded Harry of a loyal puppy. They arrived at Hagrid's hut, Filch knocked in an odd movement reminiscent of clockwork.

"Is that you, Filch?" boomed Hagrid's voice from inside the hut

Harry calmed slightly, Hagrid wouldn't be as bad as Filch. The caretaker was disturbingly sadistic, it was a wonder that Dumbledore still employed him, "Aye, I've brought the dirty little delinquents. I can always stay and…_supervise _for you," Filch snarled, his eyes shining with glee, no doubt fantasizing about the subtle forms of torture he could subject them to.

"Er, no Filch. I think I'll be fine, I wanted teh get started anyway," Hagrid emerged from the hut, looming in the doorway, Fang at his heels.

"Oh, well if you're sure. I always like to _accompany _the cretins to the forest," Filch sneered and turned back to the path back to castle, muttering to himself.

"T-the forest?" Stuttered Neville, tugging at Harry's sleeve, face white as a ghost's

"Shut it Longarse, you're a stupid squ –" Oliver began, his face scrunched up in disgust

"No, you shut it, _Potter_," Harry snarled at him, sending the boy a deathly glare to rival their mother's

Oliver paled slightly but began to speak again, "Whatever, I'm the Boy-Who-Lived!" Atlas held back a snort as Oliver gestured to himself pompously, "_I'm _not going into that forest. My Dad _will_ hear of this!"

"I'm sorry, Oliver. Dumbledore's orders, would kill meh inside teh disobey them," Hagrid said apologetically.

Oliver stamped his foot on the floor and Harry thought he was going to throw a tantrum. Instead, the redhead breathed in deeply and lifted his chin slightly, giving him the appearance of a haughty, though beardless, leprechaun. When he next spoke there was a note of calm authority in his voice, "You are aware of the _creatures_ that inhabit the forest, aren't you?" he looked patronisingly at Hagrid who sniffed slightly, "All sorts lurk in that _place_…werewolves, my Dad says,"

Harry's brow furrowed, _werewolves_. ^You'll find that prejudice is still a big thing in the wizarding world^. He shivered, he'd have to figure out who the Voice was, the mystery was killing him.

"Er, anyway. Yeh've done wrong and yeh've got the face the conseqee-consecunc-punishment!" Hagrid declared, stumbling on the last word. He gestured to the path that led to the edge of the forest. The path stopped abruptly and was replaced by a rougher dirt track that disappeared deep into the ocean of dark green leaves and sturdy trunks. There was a strange shimmery substance that Harry recognised from his textbooks. Unicorn blood. Hagrid confirmed his suspicions only a moment later.

Oliver gulped, "What if whatever injured the unicorn gets to us first, not that I couldn't overpower it, but for the sake of the others,"

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yeh with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep teh the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night,"

"I'll take Fang," Oliver stated simply, glancing at the dog's impressive looking teeth.

"If yeh want, I'll tell yeh though, he's a coward," said Hagrid, "Ok, Harry, you'll go with Oliver, Ron and Fang," Hagrid said cheerfully, ignoring the expression on the boys' faces, "Draco, Atlas and Neville will go that way. Girls, you're with me," the teens shuffled around uncomfortably, "Well, what're you waiting for? Get a move on!"

Harry, Oliver and Ron trudged along in silence, the younger boys sending Harry hostile looks whilst the Ravenclaw walked a step in front of them, Fang drooling beside him. They nodded at Hagrid as they went down separate paths. The forest was silent and still, black apart from the light that ricocheted off of the silver coated branches.

"Get behind that tree!" Harry whispered suddenly, pulling the younger boys behind an oak as Fang ran back up the path, yelping. Oliver turned to him, about to rant at him but Harry clamped his hand over his mouth. Harry silently and wandlessly summoned his dagger. Oliver's eyes widened, he stared at the dagger, taking in the jewels on the hilt.

There was a rustling sound coming from nearby, like a cloak dragging along the ground. The sound grew quieter, eventually disappearing. Harry muttered to himself. Suddenly, they saw movement in the clearing.

"Who's there?" Oliver called out, "I demand that you show yourself, I'm the boy-who-lived!" he gasped as a man – no a horse? – appeared before them. Ron and Oliver's jaws dropped in awe.

"Oh, it's only a centaur," said Harry in relief, "Greetings noble centaur, what is your name?" He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand, bowing slightly.

"Ah, a respectable wizard!" said the centaur, "Though it'd be nice if you stowed that dagger away. My name is Ronan,"

"Ronan," Harry gestured to the cowering boys behind him, "Apologies for the boys' behavior, they are a disgrace to our kind," Oliver looked slightly affronted but one glance at Ronan had him shrinking behind the trunk of a nearby tree.

"You're friends of Hagrid, yes?" the trio nodded quickly, "Ah, I bet he has sent you to figure out what has been going on? Well you'd better get out of here, I'll go find Hagrid to say you're ok. What're your names? You're Harry Potter, I know that,"

Oliver was a bit annoyed that Ronan knew who his good for nothing brother was, "He doesn't matter –"

"Oh, yes he does. Especially tonight, Mars is bright,"

Oliver let out a 'hmph!' before nudging Harry out of the way, "I am Oliver Sirius Potter, Order of Merlin, Second Class and all round life saver. This is my friend Ron Weasley and you already know my _brother_," he spat out Harry's name with clear disdain.

"Harry, Ron and Oliver, ok," he galloped off, leaving two bewildered Gryffindors and one intrigued Ravenclaw.

"Harry?" Harry ignored him, "Harry? How did he know you? What did he mean by 'Mars is bright'?"

"Walk," Harry said sternly, setting off at a brisk pace, deeper into the forest. They must've walked for at least half an hour before they came across a clearing. The blood had been getting thicker and more plentiful, as though the creature had stumbled in several places. He held his arm out, halting Oliver and Ron. There was a pearly white horse lying at the foot of a tree, except it wasn't just a horse. A shimmering horn protruded from its forehead, it was possibly the most beautiful creature Harry had ever seen. But it was dead. Out cold. Passed on. It lay stony still, mane sprawled around wildly. Harry lowered his arm, edging closer to the unicorn. An odd slithering sound made him freeze on the spot, it was the same sound they had heard earlier before meeting Ronan. It was a dark, hooded figure. The figure lowered its head to one of the unicorn's many gashes and began to drink the silvery liquid.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Ron let out a high pitched, almost girl-like wail and sped off back where they had come from. Oliver seemed to force himself to stay, determined to show that he was the hero. The figure's head snapped up and looked right at the boys. It seemed to float towards them. He summoned his dagger, pushing Oliver backwards. He felt a searing pain in his scar, causing him to drop the dagger. He clutched his hand, swaying slightly. He heard a sudden rush of hooves and felt wind rush past his ears as something leapt gracefully over his head.

Harry suddenly fell, a final surge of pain enveloping him. The figure was gone, replaced by a centaur that Harry presumed had leapt over his head and attacked the it – whatever it was. The centaur had blond hair and a white body, he frowned slightly at Oliver before helping the two boys to their feet. Harry looked at his hand only the find that it was drenched in blood. Great. He silently cast an _Episky_, waving his left hand over his fist. He turned over his palm to see that his lightning bolt scar had closed up, though it was still throbbing and his hand was still soaked in crimson.

"Are you all right?" asked the centaur, glancing at the young wizard's hand.

Before Harry could reply, Oliver pushed him aside, "Oh, I'm fine. Potter, Oliver Sirius Potter,"

The centaur looked at Oliver in undisguised piteous amusement, "You're the Potter boys…you'd better get back to Hagrid. It's not safe for you, especially you, to be in the forest right now. I'll give you a ride back to the main track,"

All Harry could do was nod and clamber aboard, Oliver following behind him, "Erm…"

"Firenze," the centaur supplied

"Firenze, what exactly was that?" Harry continued. The centaur didn't answer, instead turning to look at Harry with brilliant blue eyes.

Ronan and another centaur came bursting through the trees, "Firenze!" the second centaur bellowed, "What are you doing? You have a hu man on your back! No, you have TWO humans on your back! Are you a simple donkey?"

"The Potter boys," Firenze stated, as if this cleared everything up, "The quicker they leaves the forest, the better,"

"What did you tell them?" barked the second centaur

"I assure you, Bane, I haven't told the humans anything,"

"Bane, I'm sure Firenze here was acting as he thought best," Ronan put in in a glum voice

Bane pawed the ground in anger, glaring at Harry and Oliver, "Um, sir?" Harry addressed Bane

"Boy?" he reared up, his front legs kicking, "What makes you think you have the right to talk to me?"

"Ronan mentioned something about Mars being bright? What does that mean?"

"Something you won't understand, humanling," Bane turned to Firenze who looked curious at Harry's questioning.

"Did you not see the unicorn?" Firenze asked Bane with such ferocity Harry thought Firenze would attack the chestnut haired Bane. Instead, Firenze galloped into the trees, leaving Ronan and an angry Bane behind them.

"I know that unicorn blood will keep a weak being alive, but who would sink as low as to slay a unic –" he stopped, he knew exactly who would sink that low.

"Exactly,"

"But unicorn blood gives the drinker a cursed life, and there are only so many unicorns to slay,"

"Which begs the question of 'how would the being survive without the blood?'. Maybe all the figure needs is to stay alive long enough to drink something else, something that will bring you back to full strength and power, something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

Harry's eyes widened, "The Philosopher's stone!" at which point Oliver broke in,

"What _are_ you yapping on about? And how do _you_," he jabbed a finger at Harry, "Know about the Philosopher's Stone?"

Harry and Firenze ignored him, Harry suddenly had an idea, "Elixir of Life! I never belived he was gone, a _baby _couldn't defeat him,"

"Harry! Are you all right?" came several voices as they rounded the corner and were met by Atlas, Neville, Ron, Draco and the girls. Hagrid followed them, his face a scene of despair.

"I'm fine," he slid off of Firenze was swarmed by the girls as they surged forward to hug him.

"Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze, "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by great seers. I hope this is one of those times," He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leav ing an overwhelmed Harry and a grumpy Oliver behind him.

Harry and his friends congregated back at his room to retell their experiences of the disastrous detention.

"Voldemort wants the stone…Voldemort's wait ing in the forest…" Harry muttered aloud

"So, who's getting it for him?" Lucy enquired

"Yeah, it's not like he was in a fit state to do anything, let alone steal the stone," Ana seconded

"Firenze saved Oliver and me, but I don't think he should've. Centaurs have been known to be hostile to wizards but Bane was explosive. They all kept going on about the planets and how I shouldn't have been," they all leaned closer, "Somehow, I think they know that Voldemort is going to attack,"

Panic flitted across the teen's faces, "Sounds like they're fortune tellers or something," Lucy wondered aloud

"Fortune tellers?" Atlas looked confused

"Muggle seers," she informed him, "Usually fakes but maybe with magic it's possible?"

That night as Harry lay in his bed, curtains drawn, he had a feeling that his troubles had only just begun.

**A/N Being sent to Coventry is basically an unspoken agreement not to talk to a certain person. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Sorry for the delay. My muse got lost but I found it down the back of my sofa along with half of a shirt button and a lottery ticket. **

Disclaimer: I don't own HP, and I never will…*sobs*

**_HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 8: Harry's daring escapade_**

"I'll get his left arm, you get his right, Luce can open the door," Harry tried to contain his laughter as they began to haul Atlas away from the Charms classroom. Atlas' curls bounced vigorously as he laughed hysterically. He and Lucy had been paired up for the Charms practical and she had overdone the Cheering Charm a tad, causing Atlas to erupt into fits of giggles approximately every 23.52 seconds. In Harry's opinion, the exams had been moderately easy. The Potions practical had been so unchallenging that Harry could've done it in his sleep. Of course he didn't mention this to his friends, they were still recovering from the Transfiguration practical. He was sure that every 3rd year would have nightmares about Tortoises with tea leaking out of them until well into their 7th year.

The DADA exam had been a laughing stock, it was a wonder any of them made it out of the Defense classroom. Honestly, what was Quirrell thinking? The cretin had brought in a large tank of _Grindylows_ for the pupils to identify features of. He had brought in a _large __unsealed__ tank of Grindylows_! One of the little buggers had made a bid for freedom but Harry had quickly cast a body bind curse and conjured a lid for the tank. If he hadn't acted, even if he'd been a second too late, the majority of the class would've landed in the Hospital Wing.

Harry yawned between mouthfuls of omelet at the lunch table, daydreaming of the glorious week in his second year when an Auror called Professor Shacklebolt covered for the teacher they'd had at the time. He winced as he felt another twinge in his scar which had been bothering him since the delightful night-trip to the forest. This was extremely unhelpful, what with him being right handed. What was even better was his nightmares now starred the hooded figure that was most likely Voldemort. Of course nobody could be informed of this, they all thought old Voldy was dead. They'd think he'd gone mad, nobody would listen to the unknown older brother of the boy who lived.

Later that day, during their last exam (which just happened to be Muggle Studies theory), the stabbing pain in his hand grew to an unbearable level. It hadn't been too bad in the practicals for the other exams, he could subtly do the spell wandlessly so as not to hurt his hand. But now, as he sat at his desk in Muggle Studies, the pain was reaching dizzy heights.

"Go to Madam Pomfrey if it gets bad," Lucy suggested with an expression of deep concern as she watched Harry flex his fingers

"No, Poppy won't want me bothering her," Harry swung his satchel onto his shoulder and held the door open for her and Atlas

"Honestly mate, she loves you. It looks like it's about to burst, when did it get bad? It was fine at breakfast?" Atlas' normally carefree features were furrowed in concentration as he examined Harry's hand

"I'm not going," Harry stated calmly, whipping his hand out of Atlas' gaze and shoved in in his pocket. The trio tumbled down the grassy land down to the lake. Well, Atlas and Lucy tumbled, Harry walked with composure.

"Hey guys! How was your last..." Daphne called from her position at the base of the oak that they had named Rupert in their first year, trailing off when she saw Harry's expression, "…exam?"

"It was ok I guess, bit boring though. Luce probably got 3 million percent, she knows the most about muggle culture. Apart from maybe Harry, I don't think any wizard-borns will have scored above 50%," Atlas sighed as he threw his bag down and leant against the tree trunk. Harry lay face down on the cool grass, clenching his right hand into a fist. Daphne threw Lucy and Atlas a confused look but they sent back a 'talk later' expression.

They'd been sitting, well in Harry's case, lying, by Rupert for a good half hour when Harry's head snapped up, "Flmmmsy," he mumbled

"Hmm?" Atlas looked up from his Astronomy textbook

"Fluffy,"

"Who?"

"The three headed dog, the Cerberus, on the third floor,"

"How'd you know its name?"

"Weren't you paying attention? It was on his tag!" Atlas sent him a bemused expression, "Anyway, whoever's trying to steal the stone has to get past Fluffy. But Hagrid would never…" Harry jumped to his feet, turning to scramble up the slope.

"Harry, wait mate!" Atlas scooped up his books, nudging a drowsy Lucy and racing after the streak of raven. That was the problem with trying to keep up with Harry, he was just too damn fast.

0o0o0

Knock. Knock. Knock. Thud. Thud. Thud. Creak. Hagrid's jolly face appeared at the door, beaming at them.

"Hey," Harry glanced around to see that his friends had caught up with him, he grinned and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well, hello!" Hagrid smiled, putting the knife that he was using to skin some sort of small mammal down, "How did yer exams go? Got time fer a rock cake or a cuppa tea?"

Atlas' eyes widened in slight horror at the mention of Hagrid's rock cakes and hastily kicked Harry in the shins. Harry smiled back at Hagrid and kindly said, "No thanks Hagrid, I'd love to but we're in a bit of a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know the night you won Norbert? What did the stranger look like?"

"How'd yer know about Norbert?" Hagrid asked suspiciously

Harry mentally punched himself but carried on, "Oh, Ollie told me," he inwardly cringed at the nickname, "You know, we tell each other everything,"

Hagrid smiled fondly and thought for a second, "Well, I couldn't really see 'im. He wouldn't take of his cloak, yer see,"

"You played cards with a complete stranger who wouldn't take off his cloak and then you bought a dragon off of him?" Daphne asked skeptically

"It's not that unusual ter be honest with yeh, a lot o' odd characters in the Hog's Head. Mighta been a dragon dealer, never saw 'is face,"

"What did you talk about, Hagrid? Did you say anything about Hogwarts?"

"Mighta mentioned it," Hagrid said thoughtfully, frowning as he tried to recall the conversation, "Well he asked if I liked animals an' I said that I'm gamekeeper…he asked what sorta animals I look after an' I told 'im an' I said that what I really wanted was a dragon…" he trailed off, scratching his head, "Then he says that he's got a dragon egg on 'im an' we could play for it…urm…I mentioned that after Fluffy anything would be easy…"

"Hagrid," Harry placed his hand on Hagrid's arm, "Did he seem…interested in Fluffy?"

"Well course he was, how many three-headed dogs have yeh met? I tells him that it only takes a little tune ter calm the fella down…" Hagrid shifted uncomfortably then looked horrified at himself, "Shouldn'ta told yeh that, shouldn't'a told yeh that!"

"Thanks Hagrid!" said Harry, beginning to turn.

Hagrid caught hold of his arm, "What's goin' on? I've just had your brother down here asking all sorts, I reckon 'ermione figured it out,"

"Figured out what?" Ana asked, still a little bit confused

"Shouldn't'a said that!"

"Come on!" Harry yelled, already sprinting back to the castle. They ran in silence, stopping for breath once they reached the entrance hall.

"We've got to tell Dumbledore!" Lucy suggested

"No, the old coot stays out of this!" Harry snapped

"Come on Harry mate…" he stopped as a voice echoed around the room.

"Harry? Atlas? Oh! Miss Greengrass, Miss Archer and Miss Zabini too!" it was Flitwick, "what've you been doing outside?" Flitwick's squeaky voice had a note of concern in it.

Harry made a split second decision, "Actually sir, we wanted to talk to you,"

The professor raised his left eyebrow, "Talk to me? What is it Mr Potter?"

"Pro fessor…it's about…it's about the Philosopher's Stone…"

Flitwick suddenly dropped his O.W.L class' ready to be marked work. He'd probably been expecting a query concerning the results of the end of year Charm's exams. He made no effort to retrieve the dropped papers, "How…how could you possibly know?"

"With all due respect professor, it doesn't matter how I know. It matters that I suspect – I know – that somebody is going to steal it!"

"And I assure you, however you found out, the stone is in safe hands! Do not, I repeat, do not, try anything funny," He gestured to them and said, "Now, go and enjoy the sunshine!" he half smiled and sped off, crumpled O.W.L paper work clutched in his hands. Once he had rounded the corner Harry frowned and pulled out a notebook and a biro.

"I just know they're going to strike tonight, we'll go after dinner," he walked away, muttering and scribbling notes in his notepad. Atlas shrugged and ran after him. The girls rolled their eyes and Ana dragged the other two off to talk about whatever witches talked about in their spare time.

0o0o0

"I'll keep an eye out for the little idiots in the common room," Ana nudged Harry out of his dreamlike thinking state and pointed at his plate.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, ok," he muttered, absentmindedly reaching for a helping of cottage pie and loading it onto his plate.

"Honestly, aren't Ravenclaws supposed to be clever? You can't even remember to _eat_!" Ron cackled from further up the Gryffindor table. Oliver laughed vaguely, Harry could tell that there was something on his mind. George Weasley reached across the platters to cuff his brother around the head, they were on orders from Charlie to make sure Ron didn't mess with Harry.

About 2 hours later, Harry was interrupted by his flare. He casually left the common room, nudging a drowsy Atlas on the way out. The five met at the entrance to the kitchens and Morgana relayed what her informant, an enthusiastic Fred Weasley, had told her. He had left an enchanted pillow on an armchair and had witnessed, through a small viewing screen in his Potions book, the 'golden trio' stunning a confused Neville and running out of the common room. Harry began to pace, tapping his fingers in midair as if typing on a keyboard. He pulled out a small object, what they now saw to be a speckled grey Bertie Bott's. He flicked his left wrist and the bean paled to white and grew into a sheet of parchment. Harry's eyes skimmed over the words written in neat cursive, nodding and flitting his eyes up at them,

"So, here's the plan. We will walk in a plus formation. I will lead, Daphne and the girls will follow in a barrier-like line and Atlas will cover the back. Ok? Good, moving on. If anyone is injured, Luce will stay with them as she is most proficient in healing. If Luce gets injured, Atlas will stay with her as he is the next best option. If anyone else is injured, one of the remaining 2 will stay with them. The remaining person will be me. I will be able to cope, don't worry," Harry made elaborate hand gestures as he explained his plan.

"Harry, you can't face bloody _Voldemort_ alone!" Daphne gasped

"I won't be alone," Harry persisted, "The-Boy-Who-Lived, our almighty saviour, will be there,"

"Don't get smart with me, Harry Potter, you're not going in there alone,"

"I won't be alone, most probably. The tasks should be easy enough for us to get through,"

"I know you haven't exactly got a soft spot for Dumbledore but you've got to admit, he's powerful!"

"I _know_ he's powerful. What I suspect is that he's planted the stone in the school for a reason. That stone would solve Voldy's age problems, it would enable him to gather his followers. I think Dumbledore may have put the stone in the castle as bait for him. If I'm thinking about this the right way, then there will be some sort of test for Oliver down there,"

"Because Oliver has supposedly had all these years of training to defeat V-voldemort. The only reason Dumbledore…but Oliver isn't exactly a prodigy?"

"That's why we need to be there,"

The four eventually relented and agreed to Harry's plan. Harry may not have much experience in the field of combat but he certainly read up on it. Harry cautiously pushed open the door to the room on the third floor. Fluffy's head snapped up, anger blazing in his eyes, "Hey boy!" Harry called out cheerfully, in an attempt to calm the dog down. It didn't work. Obviously he had already been agitated by the imbecilic trio and also by the first intruder. Atlas removed his rather expensive leather shoe and threw it, hoping that Fluffy would take the chance and leap at it. Atlas would go on to claim that this was the moment everything changed, the others would go on to elbow him in the ribs. Fluffy's eyes grew large and he darted towards the shoe. There was a harp lying broken to one side of the room, Harry took the opportunity and cast a simple _Reparo_. The harp sprung up and began playing Moonlight Sonata.

Fluffy swayed on his paws slightly before falling to the floor with a thump into a deep slumber, saliva dripping from his three mouths. Harry sighed and signaled for the others to begin the descent into the unknown.

Harry, Atlas, Ana, Daphne and Lucy landed in a singed pile of what appeared to be Devil's Snare, "Jeez, burning the bugger was a bit extreme," Atlas remarked

"I bet it was that Granger girl," Ana replied

"Hey, leave _Hermione _alone," Harry admonished

"oooh, has Harry got an ickle crush on Hermione?" Atlas teased, not noticing how Daphne's cheeks blushed a light pink at hearing this comment.

"At, as much as I appreciate how you're trying to lighten the mood but I don't think now is the right time,"

"Yeah, yeah, if you say so," Atlas replied good-naturedly but Harry could tell that the blonde had noted his words and was attempting to stay serious. Harry led them down a narrow passage way that went on for what seemed like miles. The passage led to a brightly lit chamber full of what looked like hundreds of colourful birds. There was an old wooden door on the far side of the chamber, beckoning them.

Harry sprinted to the door, trying as many unlocking charms as he knew, he even tried his modified ones but none had any effect on the still locked door. He banged his head on the door, turning his head to see if he could hear anything in the next chamber. To his surprise he heard somebody shouting for…help?

"Harry?" Atlas called from behind him, "That door won't unlock? Take a look at this,"

"No," Harry replied without turning to face him

"Harry Potter, look at me right now," Atlas snapped in a shrill tone reminiscent of a certain Minerva McGonagall's

Harry punched the door and wearily and turned to face Atlas, who was holding a battered looking key. He grinned and snatched it out of the air when he threw it to him, scrambling to unlock the door. Atlas sighed comically and mimed running in slow motion towards the door. Harry shot him a look, smirked and swung open the door.

Harry surveyed the room, it was in ruins. What was probably once a mirage of beauty was now a wreck, a ghost of its former state. There was shattered marble strewn everywhere and there was a strange mist clouding his vision. There was a muffled noise coming from under the rubble somewhere, Harry was unable to pinpoint where exactly. He was contemplating a course of action when there was a crash from behind him and a scream carried through the air, as if cutting through the mist and bringing Harry and the others back down to Earth. He quickly spun on his heel and levitated the marble and black stone that had collapsed on top of Lucy. Atlas crouched down beside her and cast some quick diagnostic spells, "We need to get her to the hospital wing!" Atlas slipped his arm around an unconscious Lucy and tried to hoist her up.

"Let me give you a hand, Prince Charming, Cinderella here isn't going to get to Madam Pomfrey by herself," Ana joked half-heartedly, using one of Lucy's muggle plasters to cover up a cut on her arm. Unfortunately, being a Metamorphagus didn't allow her to heal wounds.

"Tell Madam Pomfrey that there was an accident with a bookshelf and a levitation charm gone wrong," and with that, Harry cleared the doorway and pushed open the door, allowing Lucy, supported by Atlas and Ana, to pass through and get back to civilization.

This left Daphne, who was now sporting an altogether less jovial expression and Harry, who was standing with his eyebrow raised. The muffled cries had quietened and Harry was about to put it down to his imagination running wild in a disorientating and unfamiliar environment when a flood of light coursed into the room. Pushing the query of where the suddenly present door had come from to the back of his mind, Harry tried to focus as a bright red Hermione Granger came into view. She seemed to look right through Harry. Daphne stepped forward to speak to the girl but Harry held his arm out to stop her.

"She can't see or hear us," Harry explained, conjuring a roll of parchment and a quick quotes quill, handing it to Daphne, "You can communicate with her via this. Make sure she doesn't leave the room. Pretend that you're the spirit of the chamber and that she can't leave without solving 36 riddles," he handed her '100 Riddles from the Ancient Wizarding World',"I'd bet you 1 million Galleons that Ron Weasley is in this room somewhere, behind a broken…chess piece…by the looks of it. Just stay here with her until the Professors arrive, it's too dangerous for her to try and get out, and then make a run for it to the kitchens, just say you were feeling ill and needed some hot chocolate when the teachers ask where you were,"

"But I have to stay with you, the plan allows me to,"

"Sometimes, Daphne, we have to say 'bugger that' to plans,"

"Don't try and act the hero,"

"I promised I'd protect you, I promised that I'd protect all of you,"

"And Harry Potter always keeps his promises," the pair said in unison and Daphne gave Harry a sad smile before writing 'I AM THE SPIRIT OF THE CHAMBER' on the parchment and approaching Hermione.

Harry raked a hand through his hair and mentally shook himself. 1. 2. 3. Go. He pushed the door open and ventured forth into the next chamber.

A fowl stench hit his nostrils as he entered the chamber, he soon found the source. A large troll lay dead on the floor, with a bulge on his head where he had no doubt been hit with great force by whoever had tackled him. Harry, taking care not to breathe in through his nose, sped towards the door that led to the next chamber, hoping that the next chamber smelled more pleasant.

He was presented with a 7 differently shaped bottles sat atop a table in a line. He walked towards the table, sizing up the bottles. When he had stepped over a certain point, flames in a delightful shade of violet sprang up behind him and black flames jumped up at the door leading to what Harry hoped to be the last chamber. He spotted a page of parchment on the table.

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

Being the pride of Ravenclaw that he was, it took seconds for Harry to solve the riddle. The problem was the smallest bottle, the one he needed to drink to get through the black fire, was empty. Nettle wine. _Nettle_ _wine_. He reached into his robe pocket and fished out a small vial of nettle wine that Severus had given him at the start of the year.

"In times of need, nettle wine will aid you indeed," he had said with a wink.

So Sev had known all along that he was going to eventually traverse the chambers, most likely after the nettle wine had been drunk. Harry downed the vial and strode through the obsidian flames towards the door.

He had definitely reached the last chamber, as this was built with more grandeur. There was already someone there — but it wasn't Severus Snape, as Oliver had theorized, unless the Professor had been through drastic cosmetic surgery and had suddenly decided to ditch the black robes for purple garments. No, it wasn't Sev, it wasn't even the power hungry Dark Lord.

**A/N It's been a bit mundane so far, sorry about that. I promise year 2 will be much groovier. It'll stray from canon much more, so that's something to look forward to :) Also, if anyone would like to beta this, then pm me…I make a lot of mistakes. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Thanks for all the favourites and follows since I put up the last chapter, means a lot. **

Disclaimer: I filed for a lawsuit years ago but still no luck, this 'JK Rowling' lady still owns Harry Potter

_Sort-of-warning: Bit of 'coarse language' in this but they are usually used as adjectives to describe our favourite boy-who-lived-to-annoy-Harry. There's also a bit of violence towards the end but nothing too bad _

**_HP and TLTNW, Year 1, Chapter 9: Well, what can you do?_**

Quirinus Quirrell stood facing Oliver, who was putting on a 'tough' face and brandishing his wand.

"But _Snape_ tried to kill me!" Oliver spat at Quirrell

"What do they teach you in schools these days? Have you never read a mystery novel? The most obvious villain, Snape in this case, is never the real culprit," Quirrell held an air of intellectual superiority, "Snape was a decoy. Not intentionally of course, he brought unnecessary attention to himself,"

"B-but, Snape _did _try to kill me, didn't he?"

"So innocent," Quirrell laughed a hollow laugh

"Snape didn't try to kill me? That's impossible, I saw him, and Ron saw him!"

"Fool, Snape was trying to save you. I was trying to bring you down but that bastard Snape kept countering me. Such a pity it was a wasted effort, I'm going to kill you anyway," Quirrell snapped his fingers and ropes wound round Oliver tightly, restricting his movement, "Now, about this mirror, what do you know?"

"N-n-nothing," Oliver stuttered

"Liar!"

"I d-don't know anything, really,"

"If I were you, Mr Potter, I'd tell the person who could kill you at any moment what they want to know,"

"My father will hear of this! He'll have you thrown in Azkaban!"

"Shut. Up. This mirror holds the secrets of the Stone and _you _will help me get the Stone,"

"If you're so powerful, why don't you make a Stone?"

"Pfft…Alchemy is a precise art. Powerful as my lord may be, Alchemy takes a lifetime to master,"

"But –" before Oliver could say anything, Quirrell had levitated him closer to the mirror

"What do you see?"

Oliver struggled against the ropes and closed his eyes, "You are _evil_,"

"There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it," Quirrell said, sounding like he'd rehearsed it many times, "Look into the mirror, what do you see?"

"I don't understand, why is the mirror so important?"

"For a self-proclaimed child prodigy, you're somewhat lacking in the prodigy department, aren't you?" Quirrell sneered before beginning to mutter to himself.

"Who _are_ you talking to?"

"The boy knows…the boy knows…use him!" a voice that came from Quirrell, but not from Quirrell at the same time. Quirrell snapped his fingers once more and the ropes fell from around Oliver and disappeared. He motioned for Oliver to walk closer to the mirror, "I will ask you again. What do you see?"

Oliver peered at the mirror. He saw his reflection, a little bit older. The older Oliver was being patted on the back by an older Ron. Dumbledore shook his hand and handed him the Quidditch cup. He was still confused, what did Quirrell want with the mirror?

"Um, I'm shaking hands with Professor Dumbledore, I've won the Quidditch cup," Oliver turned to Quirrell and the image in the mirror vanished.

"My lord, does he lie?"

"Let me speak to him…face to face!" Quirrell-but-not-Quirrell rasped. Quirrell smiled, reaching up to unwrap his turban. As the turban slowly unwound, Oliver felt liquid fear swirling in his stomach. The turban fell to the floor, leaving Quirrell's bald head. Quirrell slowly turned around. The back of Quirrell's head was truly horrifying. It was a pale white and had eerie red eyes staring out of it. The face was very serpentine, with slits for nostrils.

Oliver raised his wand and shouted, "PETRIFICUS TOTAL-"

Throughout this affair, Harry had been watching intently. When Oliver cast his spell, he had stunned the boy before he could finish the incantation. He levitated Oliver to the entrance to the chamber and cast a strong shield around him.

Harry stepped forward, leant against an ornate pillar and cast the counter-charm to his invisibility charm, _Adaperio_. "Evening Quirrell, Gracious Lord Voldemort,"

"Quirrell, bring him to me!" Voldemort ordered

"No need, I'll come to you," Harry said cordially before Quirrell could forcibly drag him to the mirror. He walked forward, face neutral.

"Harry Potter…we meet again," Voldemort snarled as Harry drew nearer, "Though, it must be said that I look rather worse for wear than I did during our previous encounter,"

"You could say that,"

"You dare to speak to my Lord in such a tone?" Quirrell called out

"He is right, Quirrell. Look at me now, I am a shadow of my former self. Once I obtain the Elixir of Life, I will be able to truly live again. Boy, the old fool Dumbledore must've trained you, you must know how to get the Stone,"

Harry laughed, "He never trained me,"

"Never?" Voldemort actually sounded taken aback

"Well, why would he?"

"Were you not there on that night 10 years ago?" Voldemort enquired rhetorically, "You put me in this pathetic state,"

Harry stood there in silence. A maniac grin spread across Voldemort's face, "He thought it was the other brat, didn't he? Wise old Albus Dumbledore got it wrong, he thought it was that brat lying by the door!"

"It would appear that Dumbledore made…a mistake," Harry replied, flexing his scarred hand

"Albus has overlooked you for your whole life, hasn't he? Join me, have your revenge,"

"I'll never join you, I'd rather retain my humanity," Harry replied coldly

"I may be without a body but I can still sense the power in you," Voldemort drew closer to Harry, "Join me. Join me and rise to power beside me. Join me and you will become great,"

Harry flinched backwards, "Never,"

"Oh, so brave! My Death Eaters are many things but they are not brave, I could do with some bravery in my ranks,"

Harry sidestepped Voldemort and looked into the mirror. His reflection grinned at him and tossed the Stone up into the air, catching it and putting it into his pocket. His reflection winked mischievously at him, turned around and walked away into darkness. He felt something heavy drop into his left pocket.

"Potter, where is the Stone?" Voldemort hissed

"I don't know, maybe you should ask Quirrell," Harry walked around the host body to talk to Quirrell, "Quirrell, do _you_ know where the Stone is?" Quirrell whimpered

"Where is the Stone? You will give it to me!" Voldemort demanded

"Oh well, I don't really have much to lose, what with the whole shunned by my family thing. Maybe I _should_ give it to you," Harry pretended to ponder this for a moment

"Yes, child, give the Stone to me and we shall rise to power together!"

"I'm not sure about that last part, but I'll take a gamble" Harry shrugged and reached into his pocket and pulled out the red stone. Voldemort was surprised but gleeful.

"Quirrell, take the Stone,"

Quirrell turned around and snatched the stone out of Harry's hand. Harry started to walk towards the exit but suddenly turned around and punched Quirrell square on the nose with his right hand curled into a fist. To Harry's surprise, a burning smell hit his own nose and he saw smoke rising from Quirrell's face. Quirrell dropped the stone, letting it shatter and held his hand to his face.

"MASTER!" Quirrell screamed in agony

"GET HIM!" Voldemort cried, disregarding his host's pain

Quirrell leapt onto Harry, attempting to pin him to the ground. Quirrell screamed, clearly in immense pain but determined to impress his master. Harry pressed his scarred hand to Quirrell's face and reached for his dagger. Harry's hand shook violently as he held the blade over Quirrell. ^A life is a life, no matter how corrupted^ the Voice warned him. Harry inhaled sharply and struck the man in the chest, a solitary tear escaping and trailing down his cheek. Quirrell vanished, leaving Harry's bloody dagger to fall onto the stone floor of the chamber. Voldemort's ethereal form seemed to snarl at Harry before disappearing into the depths of the fateful chamber.

Harry's right hand was covered in blood and dust, his scar had burst open and pain surged up his arm. He slowly rose, and levitated Oliver to the base of the mirror, which he then proceeded to shatter with one glance at his reflection. He looked at the remnants of the stone and banished the red dust. He reached into his left pocket, relieved to find that the real Stone was still there. It was a shame that he'd had to use his red chaos emerald as a decoy, he'd made it without magic when he was younger. He was left to his own devices as a child and he had discovered muggle culture through his one friend at primary school. He had adored the Sonic the Hedgehog games and had painstakingly carved the red emerald out of a block of red Perspex that his friend Lloyd had taken from his dad's workshop for him. He had lost contact with Lloyd after leaving for Hogwarts and though they occasionally saw each other at the local swimming pool, the friendship had run its course. Lloyd had found it odd that Harry never invited him over to his house. But then again, Harry never spoke about his family. He had mentioned a younger brother when they had first met in reception (A year above preschool (kind of kindergarten) and a year below year 1 in England) but had never spoke of him again.

Harry scratched at the Oliver's scar until it began to bleed. He created some superficial wounds and used the heel of his shoe to bruise the boy's arm. Harry placed the real Stone in Oliver's palm and strode out of the chamber, making sure to cast the invisibility charm on himself. He passed a group of professors, including Severus, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick, all desperately climbing over the rubble in the chess chamber to try and get to Oliver. Harry noticed that Nurse Greenwich, one of Madam Pomfrey's assistants, was crouched over an unconscious Hermione. He spotted the parchment he had given Daphne poking out from behind a large chunk of marble – a rook by the look of it – and picked it up. It read 'H, this may seem a little unethical but the girl was getting irritating so I stunned her and got out of here. D'. Getting out of there was probably wiser than Daphne had thought it was, Dumbledore probably would've seen through her veil when he entered the chamber.

Harry yawned, it was definitely well past midnight and the castle was asleep, unaware of the events unfolding in the chambers. He walked lightly from the third floor up to Ravenclaw Tower, flaring the others to let them know he was ok. He entered his room and collapsed on the bed, the darkness enveloping him as soon as his head hit the pillow.

0o0o0

Harry was lying in a field full of blue grass and he was staring up at a pale green sky dotted with purple clouds. He sat up and looked around, his surroundings blurred as he moved his head. He stood up, finding himself faced with a large, turquoise cartoon rabbit. The rabbit looked him up and down and began to speak, "Harry. Harry!" that was weird. The rabbit was speaking in Atlas' voice.

"Harry?" the rabbit repeated, "Oh, leave him to wake on his own, Atlas," that was even stranger, the second time the rabbit had spoken, Ana's voice had come out of its mouth. Harry reached out and grabbed at the rabbit. The rabbit's ears morphed into magenta spikes and Ana's face came into focus.

"Harry!" She smiled at him, "Guys, he's awake,"

Harry glanced around, happy to see that his friends hadn't carted him off to the hospital wing.

"Morning, soldier," Atlas' grinning face appeared, he had dark circles under his eyes but otherwise, he looked fine, "You were asleep for a while, but you'll be pleased to hear that we won the Quidditch Cup!"

Harry smiled at the people gathered felt subtle pain in his hand, though his scar had healed. He hoisted himself out of bed, muscles aching. Daphne rose from her chair beside his bed to help him but he waved her away.

"Give me a few minutes," Harry called as he headed to his bathroom

Harry showered and changed into a fresh set of school robes. He inspected himself in the mirror. Despite his shower, he still looked rather dishevelled. He had bags under his eyes and his hair, having been dried quickly by a towel, was sticking up in random places. He put on some of the cologne Atlas had gotten him for his birthday, Atlas' attempt at a manly gift.

Harry sat on his bed and began to recount the night's events after he had left Daphne with Hermione.

"Merlin, Harry, Quirrell?" Atlas whispered in amazement, the DADA teacher had seemed so powerless and meek.

"Yeah. I wonder what Dumbledore has told Oliver," Harry pondered

"I think I can help you there," Lucy said, "the great and powerful Dumbledore forgot to put up a silencing charm when he was talking to Oliver in the Hospital Wing," Harry had seen Oliver out of the corner of his eye in the Hospital Wing, surrounded by sweets and cards. Lucy continued, "I pretended to be asleep and heard the whole thing,"

Harry's eyes lit up and he jumped off of the bed, diving into his trunk and digging out what looked like a small compact mirror.

"Makeup?" Atlas laughed, "Your answer is makeup? I know you get a bit of acne now and again but I think makeup is a bit extreme,"

"No," Harry opened the mirror and it expanded into a small basin containing a misty liquid, "I present my Pocket Pensive, pending patent," the four looked at the basin, unsure what a Pensive even was, "A Pensive allows you to view memories," he elaborated, passing the Pensive around. When the device was handed back to him, he lifted his wand to Lucy's right temple.

"Harry, what exactly are you doing?" Lucy looked out of the corner of her eye and focused on the wand

"Extracting the memory," Harry replied and shifted the wand slightly lower

"Right…how exactly do you do that?"

"I just need you to focus on the memory of Oliver and Dumbledore,"

Lucy nodded, "Ok," as she spoke, Harry began to draw a silvery-blue, ethereal thread from Lucy. He let the thread fall into the Pensive, swirling in slightly with the tip of his wand. He then reached into his robe pocket and produced 5 contact lens cases.

"Harry, are those muggle bottle tops?" Atlas held the case up to his face and began to unscrew the 'bottle top'. He was about to tip it upside down when Harry decided it was best to stop Atlas before he spilled the fluid inside the case. Harry removed a lens from the case and submerged it in the now blue-tinged misty liquid in the Pensive. He repeated this for all of the lenses and showed the others how to put in the contact lenses.

0o0o0

The five appeared in the Hospital wing, but were all aware that this was not quite real. Their peripheral vision was blurry and dark and their vision had a blue-grey tinge to it. They saw the figure of Albus Dumbledore approaching a bed surrounded by gifts, sweets and brightly, almost nauseatingly brightly, packaged wizarding chocolate. In the bed sat the lump that was Oliver Potter.

"Sir?" mumbled Oliver, bleary eyed and scratching his hair.

"My boy!" a broad smile lit up the headmaster's face, "I trust Madame Pomfrey

"But sir, Quirrell, he has the Stone!" Oliver bolted upright and made to leave his bed

Dumbledore patted the boy's arm, "Now, now, Oliver. Quirrell doesn't have the Stone,"

"B-but?"

"Relax, it has been sorted. More precisely, you have sorted it," Dumbledore chuckled and reached into his pocket, unwrapping a sherbet lemon.

"But sir, who _does_ have the Stone?"

"Nobody, it has been destroyed,"

"Destroyed?"

"Yes, Nicolas and Perenelle feel that if the Stone was to fall into the wrong hands then the whole world, magical and muggle, would be put in jeopardy,"

"B-but…Hermione said that they'd die without the Stone!"

"They have enough Elixir to deal with the passing on of their assets and the like, but then, I'm afraid, they will indeed die,"

"…they'll _die_," Oliver whispered, rather taken aback by Dumbledore's jovial tone

"They have lived for centuries, my boy, they have lived many lifetimes and now it is time to set sail on another adventure,"

"How is dying an adventure? How can they buy things or eat when they die!"

Dumbledore's face showed a hint of dismay but continued semi-cheerfully, "As I said, they have lived long enough on this side of the veil,"

"Sir?"

"Yes my boy?"

"If I had a galleon for every time he uses the phrase 'my boy', I'd be a billionaire," Atlas commented from where they were stood next to the bed. It was true, the headmaster's perpetual 'my boy-ing' was getting tiresome.

"Well, sir, um, is vol...You-Know-Who dead?" Oliver asked, fear filling his eyes

"Voldemort, Oliver, call him Voldemort,"

"V-Voldemort, is he dead?"

"No, my boy, he is not,"

"I will defeat him!" Oliver said determinedly, raising a porky fist

"Easier said than done, Oliver. He is not truly alive, so he cannot be killed. He will show no mercy, you see how he left Quirrell die? He is as ruthless to his followers as he is to his enemies. However, he can be weakened to a point of no return,"

"I…but…how?"

"We shall commence training this summer,"

"Sir? How did I defeat V-Voldemort the first time around?"

"Sometimes it is better to tread carefully when it comes to the truth. I will answer any questions you have when you are of age,"

"But?"

"I will say no more, Oliver," the headmaster said firmly before looking around at the piles of gifts for Oliver, "Ah!" he exclaimed, picking up a gold and purple chocolate frog box, "Chocolate frogs! I wonder who I'll get?" he snapped the chocolate in half, giving the larger half to Oliver, who, in Harry's opinion, hardly needed feeding up, "Ah, it's Bertie Bott! It's a shame that I already have him, maybe you could take it for young Ronald? I hear he is quite the collector,"

"Thanks sir! Another thing, sir, why does Snape hate me?"

"_Professor_ Snape doesn't hate you,"

"Why does he treat me like he does?"

"Because your father saved his life,"

"But…he should worship me then?"

"Professor Snape will never be able to accept what your father did,"

"I don't deserve to be treated like this, my father will be informed,"

"Now, now, there's no need for that,"

"How come the brat isn't treated like a mudbl –" Oliver began

"Oliver Sirius Potter! You will not use such language,"

"But Hector and Atticus say – "

"Young Hector has been led astray by foul ideas, I will not have my prodigy using such foul language," Hector and Atticus Macmillan had been obsessed with pureblood superiority since a young age, though their brother Ernest had try to discourage their blossoming anti-muggle views, and when their parents had introduced them to the youngest Potter, the two brothers began to influence Oliver with his ideas.

"Anyway, what about the brat?"

"Your _brother_ has some sort of arrangement with the Professor, I don't like to delve,"

"Merlin, he makes it sound like Snape and I are in a loving relationship," Harry muttered

Oliver barked with laughter and the Headmaster patted his knee in a grandfatherly manner before standing, waving a farewell to Madam Pomfrey. Harry mused that Dumbledore was probably the only elderly man allowed to pat young boy's knees without repercussions. Their surroundings darkened and lightened all at once, causing a strange sensation to overwhelm the 5 as they were thrown back into reality.

"Gits," Atlas proclaimed as soon as they had come to their senses

"Wankers," Daphne added

"Arseholes," Lucy unexpectedly said, out of character

"Excuse me if I punch the little punk at some point during the feast," Ana said as she removed the lenses from her eyes

"Feel free to, but see Luce or At afterwards so they can tend to your hand, that much fat could crush your hand on impact," Harry deadpanned.

0o0o0

The five spent the rest of that day by the lake, enjoying the sunshine as Professor Flitwick had advised them to do a few days prior. Harry sat at the edge of the lake thinking about Merlin knows what whilst whittling away at a stray bit of wood. Ana and Daphne played wizard's chess, sending Harry concerned looks every once in a while. They knew that they should leave the raven haired boy to his own devices, they always had when he was in one of this thinking moods, but that didn't mean they didn't worry about him. Atlas was reading a muggle book called 'Twilight' that Harry had given him whilst smirking. He had sat on the grassy bank and attempted to begin reading as Lucy laughed at him, refusing to tell him what she found funny. He was now on page 154 and knew that he really shouldn't be enjoying it. Lucy's head was on his chest and she was snoring softly, having fallen asleep at around page 30, her giggles at his book subsiding into a lull of silence.

"Come on mate," Atlas lightly tapped Harry's shoulder as darkness began to settle and Filch's lantern (I'm aware that this sounds like an awful euphemism) was visibly making its way towards them.

Atlas and Harry said goodbye to the girls as they entered the Great Hall for the annual end of year feast. Blue and Bronze banners hung proudly and he enchanted ceiling was sparkling. The hall was full of chattering students and Arnie called the two over to sit with him and the rest of the Quidditch team, including a beaming Evan and his new girlfriend, Cho. The team laughed and joked as they waited for the feast to begin.

"So, the new couple on the block, eh?" Atlas teased as he nudged Evan

"Er, yeah," Cho blushed and laughed

"So what about you and that Hufflepuff, Atlas?"

It was Atlas' turn to blush, "Urm...Lucy?" he coughed

"Yeah, you and her?" Evan's blush had reduced and his cheeky smile had returned

"Well we –" Suddenly the hall fell silent. Harry turned to see what had caused the students to cease their talking. Oliver had entered the hall, smiling charismatically. A loud cheer erupted and Ron ran up to Oliver and patted him on the back, leading him to the seat he had saved for him. Even after the cheering and clapping died down, people were still whispering about their hero.

For the second time, the hall fell silent. But this time, there was no cheering. Dumbledore took his place at the high table and tapped his knife against his goblet.

"Hello, greetings, salutations to you all!" he began cheerfully, casting his twinkling eyes over the students, "Before we begin enjoying the marvellous feast, I would like to review the year…the house of the wise won the Quidditch cup and I would like to congratulate Arnold and his team on that, yes, thank you…I do hope you have learnt many magical wonders and made your parents extremely proud…Now, on to what many of you will consider to be the most important event of the year, the awarding of the House Cup! In fourth place, Gryffindor with two hundred and forty-four points; in third, Hufflepuff with three hundred and sixty-seven points; in second, Slytherin with four hundred and sixteen and in first, Ravenclaw has four hundred and thirty-two,"

The Ravenclaws jumped up and cheered, clapping and slapping each other on the back.

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore waved down Ravenclaw's celebrations, "however, I must take recent events into account and adjust the totals accordingly," the Ravenclaws lost their glow, "First, to Miss Hermione Granger for level headedness in the most stressful of situations, fifty points! Secondly, to Mr Ronald Weasley, I award fifty points for the best played game of chess I have seen in years,"

Ron's face flushed bright red and Percy smiled broadly at his younger brother, Ron was shaping up to be quite the little champion.

"Third to Mr Oliver Potter, for triumphing in the face of adversity and immeasurable courage, I award Gryffindor house seventy-five points!"

The looks of joy that had graced the Ravenclaws' faces mere minutes before were now long forgotten. Gryffindor had surpassed Slytherin and was now less than 20 points behind Ravenclaw.

"Lastly, to Mr Neville Longbottom, for displaying outstanding courage by standing up to his friends, I award fifteen points,"

"Bullshit!" Atlas muttered, "Neville hates Oliver and Ron," his words drowned out by the raucous whooping and cheering of the Lions. Ravenclaw sat there, stunned. They knew better than to protest loudly against the blatant favouritism. They looked at one another, muttering about bloody ponces and barmy headmasters. Evan and Atlas began a debate on whether or not the points were fair, with Evan arguing that Oliver and co had performed brilliantly and Atlas arguing that Dumbledore had been too generous.

Dumbledore, still smiling, clapped his hands and the banners lining the hall vanished and were replaced by scarlet and gold hangings. Harry scowled at Dumbledore, this is why he hated the man. Professor McGonagall had at first been taken aback by the bestowing of points at such a late time but was pleased that Gryffindor had broken Ravenclaw's winning streak. Professor Flitwick shook McGonagall's good naturedly but was clearly disappointed. Winning the cup always boosted morale within the house. Harry caught the eye of a slightly disgruntled looking Flitwick, who shook his head and shrugged as if to say 'well, what can you do?'

The headmaster clapped his hands again and mountains of food appeared on the table. There were plates of golden roast chicken and fountains of orange juice. Personally, Harry was looking forward to the treacle tart, prepared by the talented house elves. At the high table, each head of house cast a spell. The Slytherins found the incantation for a spell that would reveal their exam results engraved on their plates. The Hufflepuffs' goblets suddenly sprouted green shoots that grew into plants with envelope-like flowers that contained their results. The Gryffindors' found that the food they had put on their plates had transformed into results envelopes. The Ravenclaws looked up and saw dozens of winged envelopes flying down into their hands. The older pupils were used to this but for the first years, it was mesmerising.

Harry had best grades of his year, followed by Daphne and Atlas. Hermione, the girl that followed Ron and Oliver around everywhere, had got first in her year. Oliver had come in at fifth, this puzzled Harry as Oliver had been away training every summer since the boys were young and had gone to a wizarding prep school. He had expected experience to overcome natural talent. Apparently, in Oliver's case, practice didn't make perfect.

When they returned to their dormitories, everything had been packed and loaded onto the Hogwarts Express. This had always bothered Harry, he knew what the house elves were like, always trying to be helpful even when their help was anything but. He hated anybody interfering with his belongings, especially when they were capable of the magic the elves had. After the heads of house had given their end of year speeches and handed out the small medallions (bearing their house crest, the name of the accolade given and their name) for, among many others, most house points, best performance in the year for their house (aptly named the 'Highest Achieving *house* *number*th year') and the *house founder* Award (for the best pupil as voted for by their house), the students gathered in the corridor outside the doors of the great hall.

Harry had placed his medallions, one engraved 'Highest Achieving 3rd year', another engraved 'Highest Achieving Ravenclaw 3rd year', one engraved 'Rowena Ravenclaw Award Winner 1991-1992' and several engraved 'Distinction Awarded in *subject*', in a small box already containing several from his previous years. He really needed to organise them properly. Perhaps he could purchase something on his trip to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies. Perhaps.

Filch stood at the exit, waving over each year at a time, alphabetically, to give them their 'under Ministry of Magic order 293, all underage wizards and witches are prohibited from the use of magic outside of their educational establishment' letters from the lovely Ministry. After they had obtained their letters, they were given grimaces from Filch and were sent off to the station.

Harry, Atlas, Lucy, Daphne, Ana, Draco and Theodore sat in a compartment together and did their best to pass their time as the train sped by the patchwork countryside. As picturesque the view from the compartment window was, Harry couldn't help wonder why magic couldn't perhaps speed up the journey or make it unneeded. He wrote 'research apparition' in his mental notebook. However oblivious he may have seemed to the others, Harry took note of every occurrence in the compartment. From Ana, Draco and Theo's game of 'who can throw a Bertie Bott in the air and catch it in their mouth the first time' to the way Atlas was chewing on the drawstring of his brand new hoodie-cloak from Dorothy Dippet, the wizarding fashion designer who spent an apparently revolutionary week in muggle London researching the latest in muggle fashion. He had trained himself to analyse as all this, as the smallest difference in people's behaviour could indicate a big change.

As the train pulled into King's Cross, they stood and made their way to the corridor. They burst onto the platform and stood by a column to wait for their parents slash guardians. They watched with muted amusement as the excitable first years ran up to their parents and began gushing about everything under the sun. The platform seemed busier than ever, with parents and children to-ing and fro-ing everywhere. The bright colours of the wizarding clothes clashed horribly and Harry wondered how people had gone this long without having their eyesight damaged by the fuchsia and chartreuse combination popular among wizards.

"Atlas! Drakey! Come on darling, they're over here," the familiar voice of the Malfoy matriarch floated towards them

"Mum!" Atlas tugged at Draco's sleeve

"Boys! Hello Daphne, Ana and Lucy!" Narcissa hugged them and paused while her husband caught up with her

"Alright kiddos?" Lucius asked cheerfully

"Dad, don't say kiddos, makes you sound like a kiddy fiddler," Atlas replied

"A what?"

"A paedophile," Draco clarified

"Right, I'll bear that in mind," Lucius laughed

"Boys, stop messing with your father," Narcissa admonished, though she was laughing

"Now, are you ok to get back home, Harry?" Lucius regained his composure

"Yes sir, I mean, Lucius," though Harry considered Hogwarts to be more of a home than his biological family's manor

"Good. Girls, I was informed via 'mobil tellypon' that your parents are waiting for you in a café in the station, so if you could find your siblings and go and meet them then your parents would probably be grateful," he picked up their suitcases and tossed them onto a trolley, "Narcissa and I would be glad to accompany you,"

"Bye Harry! Make sure to write to me and the others!" Daphne called before following the Malfoys into the crowd

"There is always a room for you at our house if you need it, remember that," Atlas hugged Harry and sprinted after his parents, jostling through the hordes of pupils and parents.

Harry rocked backwards and forwards on his heels and sat down on his trunk, stroking Hedwig through the door of her cage. The Potters always liked to make an entrance and Harry predicted that as it was Oliver's first year, they would put a lot of effort into it. He was proved right when the entire platform was suddenly filled with a golden fog. The fog disappeared and right in the middle of the platform stood James and Lily Potter, smiling for the reporters and photographers that had shown up. Oliver stepped off of the train, flanked by Ron and a Gryffindor boy called Seamus Finnegan, and headed towards his parents. The family posed for pictures before taking questions from the journalists.

Harry pushed through the excited wizards and witches that were armed with cameras and quills. He stepped in front of the perfect family, "As heart-warming as this is, I would really like to get home," he said before summoning the family's floo pass from James' pocket and striding towards the gateway to the muggle station. Harry had a premonition that he would live to regret this but it was good to let out some of the pent up anger towards the Potters. James Potter was more than a bit angry when he finally arrived back home at the Manor after having to negotiate with the man on duty at the floo station near Kings Cross. Harry had been good at predicting things that day, first the Potter's extravagant arrival now his father's anger, maybe he should give up his wizarding aspirations and become a muggle soothsayer, conning people out of their money with his mysterious powers. Maybe not.

Back to the matter in hand. James was purple with fury, his son had really done it this time. He really had the nerve to embarrass the family in public like that? He'd pay. After making sure that Lily and Oliver were occupied with a celebratory meal in the pavilion, prepared by Flipsy and Dasher as Lily was becoming more accustomed to house elves doing work, he went to find Harry. Harry was sat at the kitchen table browsing the Daily Prophet for any outlandish 'news' of interest, his bronze and blue tie discarded on the table and his robe hanging on the back of his chair, when James entered the room. He grabbed the collar of Harry's shirt and hauled him out of his chair, pushing the youth up against the wall.

"Now, now, father, is this really the way to treat your dear son?" Harry asked innocently

"Shut up!" James struck Harry's cheek with the palm of his hand

"I think this constitutes domestic abuse or at least the unprovoked harassment of a minor,"

"Don't get smart with me young man," James dealt a blow to his stomach, causing him to double over. James held Harry's head up and punched his face several times, "If you embarrass us like that again, you'll get much worse. Oliver may be more talented than you but there is no need to make an exhibit of yourself or act in the arrogant manner you seem so fond of" James kneed him in the unmentionables and slapped his face again

"If that's all, I'd like to get on with some summer homework," Harry managed to say whilst wiping the blood from his nose off of his face with the back of his hand and wincing from the pain in his lower region. James sighed, the boy was intolerable. James let go of the boy's collar and inspected his own knuckles, realising that they were badly bruised and resolving to tell Lily that his eldest son had stamped on his hand in a fit of rage. Harry picked up his copy of the Prophet from the table, slipped his tie into his pocket, pulling his robe on, smiled at James, glanced at his battered reflection in the mirror in the hall and retreated upstairs to his room.

It was going to be a fun summer.

**A/N thanks for reading! Reviews are welcome, they keep me typing. A quick note: In no way do I condone James' behaviour and if you are suffering from any kind of abuse, I implore you to speak to a helpline or the police. I'd also like to show you the typo that resulted from me staying up way too late to write this: **

"**Now, now, father, is this really the way to try to eat your dear son?" Harry asked innocently (this made me laugh a bit too much, maybe I should sleep more and stop listening to radio 4 comedy so late at night)**

**I've also set up a tumblr page for character pics (I'll leave a link in my bio)**


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